Rick Stein's Christmas cake

Rick Stein's Christmas Cake

It may be early November, but now is the ideal time to bake a cake that will develop into something truly special by Christmas. Rick Stein evokes the festive spirit with his classic fruit cake recipe.

Ingredients

175g sultanas
275g currants
175g raisins
50g glacé cherries, halved
50g mixed peel
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
75ml brandy, sherry, or orange juice (optional)
Sunflower oil
225g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
225g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs, beaten
225g plain flour
60g chopped mixed nuts or ground almonds
1 tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Extra brandy, sherry, port or rum for feeding the cake

Decoration

3-4 tbsp apricot jam
350g dried fruit and nuts: walnuts, brazils, pecans, figs, glacé cherries in mixed colours, angelica, large pieces of candied peel

Method

1. The day before making the cake, mix the dried fruit, cherries, and peel with the citrus zest. Stir in the brandy, sherry, or orange juice, cover, and leave to soak overnight.

You will need a 20cm round cake tin. To line it, cut two circles of baking paper to fit the base. Then cut a strip of paper about 10cm longer than the tin's circumference and about 5cm taller than the tin's depth. Fold a 2cm strip along the long edge and snip every 2cm along the fold.

Recipe taken from Rick’s cookbook ‘Rick Steins Christmas’.

This cake improves over time, making it perfect to bake early and enjoy at Christmas.

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ITV — 2025-11-06