Delia Smith Christmas Cake​ Recipe

This classic Delia Smith Christmas cake is made with brandy-soaked currants, sultanas, raisins, glacé cherries, treacle, and warming mixed spice. The result is a rich, moist fruit cake that improves with age and keeps for months. It serves 12–16 and needs about 30 minutes of hands-on prep plus 4 hours of slow baking in an 8-inch tin.

I make this every October so it has a full two months of weekly brandy feeds before Christmas Day. There is nothing quite like slicing into a properly matured cake on Christmas morning.

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Christmas Cake Ingredients

For the Pre-Soaking (Begin the Day Before):

• 450g currants
• 175g sultanas
• 175g raisins
• 50g chopped glacé cherries
• 50g mixed chopped candied peel
• 100ml brandy

For the Cake:

• 225g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ level teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• ½ level teaspoon ground mixed spice
• 225g dark brown soft sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 dessertspoon black treacle
• 225g spreadable butter
• 50g chopped almonds (skin on)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 orange

For Feeding and Topping:

• Armagnac or brandy to feed the cake
• 100g whole blanched almonds (only if you do not intend to ice the cake)

How to Make Christmas Cake

1. Soak the fruit overnight: Get your pre-soaking ingredients ready at least 12 hours before you plan to bake. In a bowl, combine all the fruits (currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries, and peel) with the 100ml of brandy. Mix well, cover the bowl with a cloth, and leave them to soak overnight.
2. Prepare your ingredients and oven: When ready to bake, pre-heat your oven to 140°C (Gas Mark 1). Sift the flour, salt, and spices (nutmeg and mixed spice) into a very large mixing bowl.
3. Create the cake batter: Add the sugar, eggs, treacle, and spreadable butter to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently warm the black treacle first to make it easier to measure and mix. Beat all the ingredients together using an electric hand whisk until the mixture is completely smooth and fluffy.
4. Fold in the additions: Gradually add the pre-soaked fruit mixture (including any remaining brandy), the 50g of chopped almonds, and the grated lemon and orange zests. Use a large kitchen spoon to gently fold these heavy ingredients into the batter until everything is evenly combined.
5. Fill the tin and top: Transfer the cake mixture into your prepared tin. Use the back of the spoon to spread the batter out evenly. If you do not plan to decorate the cake later with marzipan and icing, lightly drop the 100g of whole blanched almonds in circles over the surface.
6. Protect the cake and bake: Take a double-layered square of baking parchment and cut a 50p coin-sized hole in the centre. Place this parchment on the rim of the brown paper lining, not directly on the batter. This provides extra protection to prevent the edges from burning. Bake on the lowest shelf for 4 hours. Do not check before this time. The cake is done when it feels springy in the centre when lightly touched. It may take 30–45 minutes longer.
7. Cool and feed the cake: Cool the baked cake in its tin for 30 minutes. Then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Once cold, make small holes in both the top and bottom using a cocktail stick. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of Armagnac or brandy over the holes to feed it.
8. Store and continue feeding: Wrap the fed cake tightly in parchment-lined foil and store it in an airtight tin. Repeat the feeding process once a week until you are ready to ice or serve it.

What Is the Secret to a Perfect Christmas Cake?

The overnight brandy soak is the single most important step. It plumps the dried fruit so it stays moist inside the cake rather than drawing moisture out of the batter. If you can soak for 24 hours instead of 12, the result will be even better.

Black treacle is very thick and sticky. Warming it in a microwave for a few seconds or standing the tin in hot water will thin it out so it mixes smoothly into the batter without leaving clumps.

Once you add the soaked fruit, nuts, and zest, switch from the electric mixer to a spoon and fold gently. Over-mixing at this stage develops the gluten in the flour too much and produces a heavy, tough cake.

The double square of parchment with a hole in the centre is essential. It shields the sides and edges from the oven’s heat so the cake bakes evenly over 4 hours without burning the outside before the centre is cooked. Always bake on the lowest shelf — the low temperature and placement are necessary for such a dense, slow-baking cake.

What Should You Serve on the Side?

The classic way to enjoy this cake is with a thin layer of marzipan and a hard royal icing or soft fondant icing. For a simpler presentation, serve it plain with a light dusting of icing sugar.

It pairs beautifully with a glass of port, warm mulled wine, or a small dram of the brandy you used to feed it. For a non-alcoholic option, a hot cup of strong black tea works perfectly alongside the rich fruit and spice.

A slice of mature Cheddar cheese is also a traditional pairing that cuts through the sweetness.

How Long Will This Cake Keep?

This is one cake that does not belong in the fridge. Refrigeration dries it out. Instead, wrap the un-iced cake tightly in parchment-lined foil and seal it in an airtight tin in a cool, dark cupboard. It will keep for up to 3 months before icing, and you should continue feeding it with a tablespoon of brandy every week or two.

Once iced, it will keep for up to 1 month at room temperature in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 350 kcal
• Total Fat: 15g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Cholesterol: 60mg
• Sodium: 85mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 50g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Sugars: 40g
• Protein: 5g

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