About the bake
This White Christmas Cake recipe is a traditional Christmas cake with a twist. This sumptuous yet easy Christmas cake is soaked with ginger wine and studded with fruit - the whole family is sure to love it. This recipe first featured in Good Housekeeping Christmas Cookbook 2010.
Method
Step 1:
Put the dried fruit, cherries and ginger into a bowl. Warm the ginger wine in a small pan and pour over the fruit. Set aside.
Step 2:
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C, gas mark 3). Grease and double-line a 20.5cm (8inch) cake tin with greaseproof paper. Wrap a double layer of greaseproof paper around the outside of the tin, secure with string, making sure the paper comes at least 5 cm (2 inch) above the top of the tin. This will stop the cake from burning.
Step 3:
Put the butter and sugar into a large bowl and beat together until light and creamy, about 5 minutes.
Step 4:
Gradually beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour, mixed spice, walnuts and soaked fruit, plus any liquid left in the fruit bowl.
Step 5:
Spoon the mixture into the tin and cook for 3 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If the cake starts to brown too quickly, cover the top with baking parchment.
Step 6:
Leave cake to cool in tin for 10 minutes, then take out and cool completely on a wire rack, leaving the greaseproof paper wrapped around the outside of the cake.
Step 7:
To store, wrap a few layers of clingfilm around the cooled cake in its paper, then cover with foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to two months. If you like, prick the cake a few times with a skewer and pour over extra ginger wine every week. Re-wrap and store as before.
Step 8:
To ice, warm the apricot glaze and brush all over cake.
Step 9:
Roll out the marzipan, and use to cover the cake according to pack instructions. Trim off any excess. Dab marzipan with cooled boiled water from the kettle.
Step 10:
Roll out the icing and use to cover the cake according to pack instructions. Trim off excess and use to decorate cake as in the picture.
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 700g Dried mixed fruits
- 200g Glacé cherries
- 50g Stem ginger
- 100ml Ginger wine
- 175g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 175g Billington's Unrefined Dark Muscovado Sugar
- 3 Free range large eggs
- 175g Allinson's plain white flour
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- 75g Walnuts (chopped)
For The Decoration
- 4 tbsp Apricot Jam
- 400g Marzipan
- 450g White sugar paste icing
Utensils
- Cake tin 8in
- Mixing bowl
We'd love a slice of advice.
Was it yum? Did the recipe work well? Did you customise the recipe?
Ingredients
For The Cake
- 700g Dried mixed fruits
- 200g Glacé cherries
- 50g Stem ginger
- 100ml Ginger wine
- 175g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 175g Billington's Unrefined Dark Muscovado Sugar
- 3 Free range large eggs
- 175g Allinson's plain white flour
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- 75g Walnuts (chopped)
For The Decoration
- 4 tbsp Apricot Jam
- 400g Marzipan
- 450g White sugar paste icing
Utensils
- Cake tin 8in
- Mixing bowl