Mary Berry Victorian Christmas Cake Recipe

Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas cake is a deeply dark, richly spiced fruit cake steeped in brandy — made months ahead and better for every week it matures.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3 30

Total Time 4

Servings: 16 Slices

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Calories: 420

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Fruit Soak Night Before:
1 kg mixed dried fruit
100 g dried cranberries
100 g mixed peel
100 g glacé cherries halved and rinsed
150 ml brandy or dark rum
Cake:
250 g unsalted butter softened
250 g dark muscovado sugar
1 tbsp black treacle
5 large eggs beaten
250 g plain flour sifted
1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp mixed spice, ½ tsp ginger, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp mace, ¼ tsp cloves, ¼ tsp allspice
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50 g ground almonds
75 g blanched almonds roughly chopped
Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
For Feeding:
Brandy or dark rum — 1 to 2 tbsp per week

Method

Soak all fruit in brandy overnight. Cover tightly.
Preheat oven to 140°C / 120°C fan / Gas 1. Line tin with double parchment. Wrap outside with double brown paper.
Beat butter, muscovado, and treacle 4–5 minutes.
Add beaten eggs gradually — add a tbsp flour if it looks like curdling.
Sift in flour, spices, and bicarbonate of soda. Add ground almonds, chopped almonds, and citrus zests. Fold gently.
Add all soaked fruit and remaining liquid. Fold through completely.
Spoon into tin. Smooth — make a slight hollow in the centre. Bake 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely in tin. Remove — keep parchment on. Pierce base 15 to 20 times. Feed with 1 to 2 tbsp brandy. Wrap tightly in cling film then foil. Feed weekly until Christmas.

Notes

Soak fruit in brandy overnight — 24 hours is even better.

Wrap the outside of the tin in brown paper — the long bake needs insulation.

Make a hollow in the centre before baking for a flat top.

Feed from the base through holes — brandy travels through the cake by gravity.

Make in October if possible — weekly feeding over 8 to 10 weeks makes it exceptional.

Stores wrapped for up to 4 months. Freezes un-iced for up to 6 months.