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Christmas Cake with Drambuie-Soaked Vine Fruits

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Christmas Cake with Drambuie-Soaked Vine Fruits

An easy recipe resulting in a moist, rich cake - also suitable for christenings and weddings!

Preparation time:
Prepare 1 hour, plus overnight soaking
Cooking time:
3 minutes to 4 minutes
Total time:
4 - 5 hours plus overnight soaking 30 minutes
Makes:
 25- 30 slices

Ingredients

  • 750g Waitrose Wholesome Vine Fruit Mix
  • 250g soft apricots, quartered
  • 200g tub cut mixed peel
  • 200g tub glacé cherries, halved
  • 100g pitted soft prunes, quartered
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 100ml Drambuie
  • 250g unsalted butter, softened
  • 200g dark muscovado sugar
  • 5 medium eggs, beaten
  • 300g plain flour, sieved
  • 200g walnut pieces

Method

  1. Place all the dried fruit in a large bowl then stir in the grated orange zest and juice, and the Drambuie. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
  2. Preheat the oven to 150°C, gas mark 2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm-round or 20cm-square cake tin with baking parchment so it stands 5cm above the top. Use string to tie a double thickness of baking parchment around the outside of the tin. This will help prevent the cake drying out during cooking.
  3. In a large bowl, use a hand-held electric whisk to beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg, a little at a time. If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of flour with the last few additions of egg.
  4. Add the soaked fruit and walnuts, with any remaining liquid, then mix well. Fold in the rest of the flour. Spoon into the cake tin, then use a round-bladed knife to level the top of the mixture. Stand the tin on a tray and bake for 3-4 hours until cooked through, covering the top of the cake with foil if it starts to over-brown. To check that the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into its centre – if the skewer comes out clean the cake is cooked. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
  5. Remove the cake from the tin and store in its lining paper, wrapped tightly in foil. Keep in a cool place. Feed the cake every few weeks by unwrapping it, making small holes in its top, then drizzling with a couple of tablespoons of Drambuie. This will help to keep the cake moist and add extra flavour. If the cake has domed in the centre during baking, neatly slice off the top before covering with marzipan. To ensure a completely flat surface for decorating, turn the cake upside down before covering with marzipan and icing.

Cook's tips

Look for Christmas Cake Decorated on how to ice this cake.

Comments and images

Average user rating 5 stars out of 5

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paul_g

paul_g 04 November 2009 23:38

I've made several of these now, not just for Christmas, and it's still our favourite, Delia's is a close second. Works with any decent brandy if you don't want to use Drambuie. The only other change I've tried is using home-made Almond Paste from a Delia's recipe, it's very easy to make with much more flavour and texture than packet Marzipan - and you can easily find the ingredients in Waitrose of course.

DJandCJsMummy

DJandCJsMummy 13 September 2009 13:24

This is a fab recipe, the cake is always moist. It is a real hit with my family and I have make it for them year after year, I've also made it for my son's christening cake

Peagreen

Peagreen 02 February 2009 17:35

this is a fantastic recipe. I made this as a gift for my in-laws for christmasand they raved about it. I also made one for my family and I have to say it was yummy. I take out the nuts as my husband can't eat them and replace with cranberries

ROZELLA

ROZELLA 21 October 2008 18:32

With all the very good comments about this cake. I am hoping to make one this weekend. I have made the Delia one in the past. This sounds fantastic sorry again Delia.

jackid

jackid 18 October 2008 12:01

I made my first christmas cake last year - using htis recipe - and as everyone here agrees it was so good I am about to repeat it this weekend. Also discovered I like drambuie !

mlermitte

mlermitte 08 October 2008 21:47

Silly me. I've found the oven temperature now. I was looking at the top and the bottom of the recipe, not in the middle! Regards Mary Lermitte

mlermitte

mlermitte 08 October 2008 21:15

The Christmas cake recipe, which I am just about to cook, doesn't say which Gas regulo to cook it on. Regards Mary Lermitte m.lermitte@yahoo.com

ELB

ELB 04 October 2008 14:50

I made this cake last Christmas, and had many comments on it being the best they had ever had. I am just about to make one for this year!

Sarah G

Sarah G 08 January 2008 01:23

Fantastic. Relatively easy even though I'd never made a Christmas cake before - I'll definitely be making it again next year!

Rusalka

Rusalka 31 December 2007 12:39

Very good recipe and the result was great.

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5 stars out of 5

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Nutritional Info

Typical values per serving:
Energy 375.0kcal
Sugars 45.6g
Fat 15.7g
Saturated Fat 6.4g
Salt 0.2g

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This recipe was first published on Waitrose.com in October 2007