Anna Louise A 6 inch Christmas cake is the version I make when I am cooking for fewer than eight people and do not want a large cake sitting on the kitchen counter for weeks. The full-sized Christmas cake on this site feeds sixteen to twenty.
This version feeds six to eight — the right scale for a smaller household, a couple who love Christmas cake, or someone who wants to make several small cakes as gifts.
Everything about the method is identical to the full-sized version — the overnight fruit soak in brandy, the low oven temperature, the brown paper wrapped around the outside of the tin, the weekly brandy feeding. The only differences are the quantities and the baking time.
And crucially — a small Christmas cake baked and fed properly for six to eight weeks tastes exactly as magnificent as a large one. The richness, the complexity, the depth that comes from patience and good brandy — none of that depends on scale.
This is also the version to make if you want to give homemade Christmas cakes as gifts. Two 6 inch cakes made from one batch of the standard recipe, properly wrapped and fed and finished with marzipan and icing, are among the most generous and most appreciated gifts I have ever given.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Small Christmas Cake (6 Inch)
For the Fruit Soak (Night Before)
- 500g mixed dried fruit (sultanas, currants, and raisins in equal parts)
- 50g dried cranberries
- 50g mixed peel
- 50g glacé cherries, halved and rinsed
- 75ml brandy or dark rum — plus more for feeding
For the Cake
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 125g dark muscovado sugar
- ½ tbsp black treacle
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- 125g plain flour, sifted
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 25g ground almonds
- 40g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
- Zest of ½ unwaxed orange
- Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
How to Make Mary Berry Small Christmas Cake
Step 1 — Soak the Fruit
Place all the dried fruit, cranberries, mixed peel, and glacé cherries in a large bowl. Pour over the brandy. Stir well. Cover tightly and leave overnight — or up to 24 hours. The fruit absorbs the brandy completely and becomes plump and deeply fragrant.
Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare the Tin
Preheat your oven to 140°C / 120°C fan / Gas 1. Line a deep 6 inch (15cm) round cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment on the base and sides, with the sides coming at least 5cm above the rim of the tin. Wrap the outside of the tin with a double layer of brown paper or newspaper secured with string — this insulates the cake during the long, slow bake and prevents the outside from overcooking before the centre is done.
Step 3 — Make the Batter
Beat the softened butter, dark muscovado sugar, and black treacle together for three to four minutes. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well — if it looks like curdling, add a tablespoon of the measured flour.
Sift the flour, all the spices, and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl. Add the ground almonds, chopped blanched almonds, and both citrus zests. Fold gently until just combined.
Add all the soaked fruit and every drop of the remaining brandy liquid. Fold through carefully until completely and evenly distributed.
Step 4 — Fill and Bake
Spoon the batter into the prepared tin. Smooth the top. Make a slight hollow in the centre — this prevents the cake from doming significantly during the long bake.
Bake for 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes. Start checking at 2 hours — a skewer inserted into the very centre should come out completely clean. If it is still wet, return for another 20 to 30 minutes and check again.
Leave to cool completely in the tin.
Step 5 — Feed the Cake
Once completely cool, remove from the tin but keep the parchment wrapping in place. Pierce the base 10 to 15 times with a fine skewer. Spoon or brush one tablespoon of brandy over the base, letting it soak through the holes.
Wrap tightly in cling film and then foil. Store in a cool, dark place. Feed with one tablespoon of brandy through the base every week until Christmas.
Tips For Best Mary Berry Small Christmas Cake (6 Inch)
Soak the fruit overnight — or longer. The overnight soak is not a step to rush. Twenty-four hours gives an even more deeply flavoured, more alcoholic fruit. The fruit absorbs the brandy completely and carries it into the cake during baking — this is the foundation of a properly made Christmas cake.
The brown paper wrapping outside the tin is essential for a small cake. A 6 inch Christmas cake bakes for over two hours at a very low temperature. Without insulation around the outside of the tin, the relatively small diameter means heat penetrates to the centre quickly and the edges can overcook. The brown paper prevents this.
Make the hollow in the centre of the batter before baking. A slight dip in the centre — made with the back of a wet spoon — counteracts the tendency of the cake to dome during the long bake. This is particularly important if the cake will be covered with marzipan and icing — a flat top is far easier to cover neatly.
Feed from the base, through the holes. Brandy drizzled over the top of a fruit cake runs off the surface. Brandy spooned over the pierced base travels downward through the cake by gravity, distributing more evenly throughout every layer. Always feed from the base.
Make it as early as possible. A 6 inch Christmas cake made in October and fed weekly until Christmas is genuinely extraordinary. The same cake made two weeks before Christmas is good but incomparably less complex and less moist. Give it time.
Serving Suggestions
With marzipan and royal icing — see the royal icing for Christmas cake recipe on this site. Or simply with a thick layer of marzipan for a less formal finish. Sliced thinly — this is a dense, rich cake — and served with a small glass of port or sweet sherry.
How to Store Mary Berry Small Christmas Cake (6″)
Wrapped and fed: Keeps for up to 4 months properly wrapped and fed regularly with brandy.
In the freezer: Freeze the un-iced, unfed cake for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature and begin the feeding process once defrosted.
Mary Berry Small Christmas Cake 6 Inch Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Soak all fruit in brandy overnight — cover tightly.
- Preheat oven to 140°C / 120°C fan / Gas 1. Line a deep 6 inch tin with double parchment — sides 5cm above the rim. Wrap outside in double brown paper.
- Beat butter, muscovado, and treacle 3–4 minutes. Add eggs gradually — add tbsp flour if curdling threatens.
- Sift in flour, spices, and bicarbonate of soda. Add ground almonds, chopped almonds, and citrus zests — fold gently. Add all soaked fruit and liquid — fold through completely.
- Spoon into tin. Smooth. Make a slight hollow in the centre. Bake 2 hours – 2 hours 30 minutes until skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely. Remove from tin — keep parchment on. Pierce base 10–15 times. Feed with 1 tbsp brandy. Wrap tightly in cling film then foil. Feed weekly until Christmas.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make two 6 inch cakes from the full-sized recipe on this site?
Yes — the full-sized Victorian Christmas cake recipe on this site makes approximately twice the quantity of batter in this recipe. Divide evenly between two prepared 6 inch tins. The baking time is the same as this recipe.
I use rum instead of brandy?
Yes — dark rum gives a slightly more molasses-rich, slightly more Caribbean result. It works beautifully. Use the same quantity throughout.
Does the feeding schedule change for a smaller cake?
No — one tablespoon of brandy through the base every week works for any size of Christmas cake. A smaller cake needs slightly less per feeding than a large one — one tablespoon is exactly right for a 6 inch cake.
How long does a 6 inch Christmas cake last?
Made and fed properly, a 6 inch Christmas cake will keep for 4 months without icing. Once covered with marzipan and royal icing, it will keep for a further 2 months.
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