Ultimate Irish Christmas Cake Recipe

Embrace a cherished Irish tradition with this classic Irish Christmas Cake. This rich, dense fruitcake, steeped in warming whiskey, embodies the spirit of festive celebrations. It transforms simple ingredients into a deeply flavorful dessert, perfect for sharing with loved ones or a quiet moment with a cup of tea. Prepare to create your own delicious holiday centerpiece.

Why You’ll Love This Irish Christmas Cake

• Deep, Indulgent Flavor Profile: This traditional fruitcake offers a complex blend of sweet dried fruits, aromatic spices, and a hint of citrus.
• Traditional Preparation Enhances Taste: Soaking fruits in whiskey and allowing the cake to “feed” deepens its character over time.
• Excellent for Gifting and Sharing: Its substantial nature and long shelf life make it a thoughtful, homemade present during the holidays.
• Flavors Deepen Beautifully with Age: Making this festive cake weeks in advance allows the rich taste to mature.
• Highly Rated by Fellow Bakers: This particular Irish Christmas Cake recipe has been perfected for a consistently delicious result.
• Updated Recipe with New Insights: We provide clear, beginner-friendly instructions to ensure your baking success.

Ingredients

Gather your ingredients for this delightful Irish Christmas Cake. Starting with quality components makes a real difference in the final flavor.

• 3 cups (15 oz/426 g) raisins
• ⅓ cup (2 oz/58 g) candied peel
• 1 medium orange, zested
• 1 medium lemon, zested
• 1 cup (8 fl oz/225 ml) O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey (or apple juice/orange juice for a non-alcoholic option)
• 1 ½ cups (8 oz/225 g) glace cherries
• 2 cups (10 oz/282 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ¼ cups (10 oz/300 g) butter, room temperature
• 1 ⅔ cups (13 oz/367 g) muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup (2 ½ oz/71 g) chopped or sliced almonds

Notes & Substitutions

You have flexibility with some ingredients. For dried fruits, feel free to use a mix of sultanas, currants, or dried cranberries instead of just raisins. You can also make your own candied peel for a brighter flavor. Citrus zest from orange and lemon adds a fresh, aromatic lift to the rich fruitiness.

Whiskey is traditional for both flavor and preservation; use a good quality Irish variety like O’Driscolls. For a non-alcoholic fruitcake, substitute the whiskey with apple juice, orange juice, or strong cold tea.

All-purpose flour provides structure to the cake. Mixed spice is a classic blend often found in festive baking, typically containing cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Ground nutmeg adds extra warmth.

Butter at room temperature ensures a smooth, creamy base. Muscovado sugar brings a deep, molasses-like sweetness and moisture to the cake, but dark brown sugar works well too. Large eggs bind the ingredients and contribute to a moist texture. Chopped or sliced almonds add a pleasant crunch. Consider pecans or walnuts for other nutty alternatives.

Equipment

You don’t need highly specialized tools to make this rich fruitcake. A few standard kitchen items will work well.

• 10-inch cake tin
• Parchment paper
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowls (one large for fruit, one for dry ingredients, one for wet)
• Knife
• Stand or handheld mixer
• Spatula or wooden spoon
• Skewer
• Aluminum foil

Instructions

Creating this flavorful Irish Christmas Cake involves two main stages, starting the night before. This allows the fruit to plump up beautifully.

The Night Before

1. Prepare the Fruit: In a large mixing bowl, combine the raisins, candied peel, orange zest, and lemon zest. Pour the O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey (or your chosen juice substitute) over the fruits.

   Soaking fruits in alcohol is a traditional practice that enhances flavor and can even extend the shelf life of your fruitcake. Learn more about the benefits of soaking fruits for fruitcake.

2. Steep: Stir everything together thoroughly. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid.

3. Rest: Leave the fruit mixture to steep at room temperature overnight. This soaking period helps the dried fruits absorb moisture and flavor, leading to a wonderfully succulent cake.

The Next Day

1. Preheat Oven: Adjust your oven rack to the middle position. Preheat your oven to a gentle 280°F (140°C).

2. Prepare Baking Pan: Grease and flour a 10-inch round cake tin. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper, and also line the sides with a double layer of parchment paper, extending about 2 inches above the rim of the pan. This helps prevent the cake from over-browning on the edges during its long bake.

3. Prepare Glace Cherries: Lightly rinse the glace cherries under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Toss the dried cherries with a tablespoon of flour. This coating helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

4. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, mixed spice, and ground nutmeg. Set this aside.

5. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, cream the room temperature butter and muscovado sugar until the mixture appears light and fluffy. This can take about 3-5 minutes.

6. Add Eggs: Beat in the large eggs one at a time. Mix well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture might look slightly curdled at first, but keep mixing until it comes together.

7. Fold in Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the reserved flour and spice mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Do not overmix.

8. Add Fruits and Nuts: Gently fold in the steeped boozy fruit mixture, the floured glace cherries, and the chopped or sliced almonds. Stir until everything is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

9. Make a Wish: As a lovely tradition, make a wish while stirring the rich fruitcake batter.

10. Fill Pan: Pour the cake batter into your prepared 10-inch baking pan. Use a spatula to gently smooth out the top.

Baking and Feeding the Cake

1. Initial Bake: Place the cake tin in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour at 280°F (140°C). This initial low temperature helps the cake set slowly.

2. Reduce Heat: After 1 hour, reduce the oven temperature to an even lower 240°F (120°C).

3. Continue Baking: Continue baking for an additional 2 to 2.5 hours. The total baking time will be around 3 to 3.5 hours. To check for doneness, insert a wooden skewer into the center of the Irish Christmas Cake. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If it looks like it’s browning too quickly, loosely tent the top with aluminum foil.

4. Feed the Cake (First Time): As soon as you remove the hot cake from the oven, poke several holes all over the top using a wooden skewer. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey evenly over the warm cake, allowing it to soak in.

5. Cool Completely: Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack. This helps it firm up.

6. Wrap for Storage: Once entirely cool, wrap the cake well in a double layer of parchment paper, then in aluminum foil.

7. Regular Feeding: Store your traditional fruitcake in a cool, dark place. “Feed” the cake every 2 weeks by unwrapping it, poking a few more holes, and drizzling another 1-2 tablespoons of whiskey over the top. Rewrap it tightly after each feeding. This process keeps the cake moist and enhances its flavor over time.

Pro Tips & Troubleshooting

For a deeper flavor, lightly toast nuts like almonds before adding them to the batter. This step brings out their nutty essence. If you plan a vegan Irish Christmas Cake, replace eggs with flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, let sit 5 mins) and use a high-quality vegan butter spread. A splash of plant-based milk can help with batter consistency if needed.

Consider brandy or rum if whiskey is not to your taste or unavailable. For a classic finish, apply traditional royal icing after the cake has matured. When using a fan oven, reduce the temperature by about 20°F (10°C) and adjust baking time accordingly.

To prevent fruit from sinking, ensure you coat the glace cherries in flour as specified in the instructions. You can also cut larger dried fruits into smaller pieces for better distribution. Fold all fruit and nuts gently into the batter to keep them suspended. If your cake seems too dry after baking, continue feeding it with whiskey more frequently.

Serving, Storing & Variations

Your prepared Irish Christmas Cake will bring joy throughout the festive season and beyond.

Serving Suggestions

Serve thin slices of this rich fruitcake with a comforting cup of tea for an afternoon treat. It pairs beautifully with coffee after a holiday meal. You can also present it as a stunning holiday centerpiece, perhaps adorned with marzipan, royal icing, or simple festive decorations like cranberries and rosemary. A small slice served with a dollop of clotted cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes a decadent dessert.

Storage Instructions

You can make this traditional fruitcake weeks in advance of the holidays. This allows its flavors to mature and deepen, especially with regular “feeding.” Ensure you cool the cake completely after baking and before wrapping. Wrap it tightly first in parchment paper, then in aluminum foil, to maintain moisture and prevent drying. Store it in a cool, dark pantry or cupboard. In warmer climates, or if you prefer, you can refrigerate it. Continue to feed the cake with whiskey every couple of weeks. When stored properly and fed consistently, an Irish Christmas Cake can last up to a year.

Variations

Feel free to customize your fruitcake. Use a mix of various dried fruits such as apricots, dried cranberries, or figs for different flavor notes. Substitute different nuts or seeds like pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds if almonds are not preferred. Make a non-alcoholic fruitcake by replacing the whiskey entirely with apple juice, orange juice, or strong black tea for the soaking and feeding. If you don’t have a 10-inch tin, you can bake in smaller pan sizes like 6-inch rounds (adjust baking time to around 1.5-2 hours) or even cupcakes for individual portions.

Nutrition

Understanding the nutritional breakdown of your Irish Christmas Cake can help with portion control. This is a rich, dense cake, so consider enjoying it in moderate servings.

Each serving (based on 16 servings) contains approximately:

Nutrient	Amount (per serving)
Calories	470 kcal
Fat	21 g
Saturated	12 g
Carbs	60 g
Sugars	45 g
Protein	6 g
Fiber	2 g

Values are estimates and may vary based on specific ingredients and preparation.