Skip to Content

Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake

Sharing is caring!

Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas Fruit cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.

Wow, how time flies and it’s time to make the Christmas Cake again.  I have been making this same Christmas Cake for ever, long before I was married.

Christmas fruit Cake image

This year I have decided to change everything. Firstly I’ve changed the decoration.

They do not make Christmas Cakes in Greece so I cannot find new Christmas ornaments to put on my Christmas Cake. Last year my sister gave me this beautiful Angel which I think it is perfect for my cake.

Update 2019:

I made this cake again this year. I have kept some of my old pictures. However, this year I have covered and decorated the cake with fondant instead of Royal Icing.

Christmas Cake cut image

I changed a few of the ingredients in the cake as well. I added different spoon sweets. Quince and cherries which were the only ones I had at home.

I made a lemon peel marmalade which I made in the winter and still have. I removed most of the jam and kept the lemon peels. I added pineapple, craisins, pecans and pistachios. Finally I added a new spice for the first time in this cake: ginger.   

The other thing I did this year is that I wrapped the cake in cling film and had it in the refrigerator.   Every 2 – 3 days, I unwrap the cake and wet it with cherry brandy.   This was repeated 2 – 3 times until I added the first layer of lemon jam and then the frosting.

How to make the fruit cake

Before starting the cake, a few things have to be done first.  The first thing is to dry the fruit preserves. In Greece and Cyprus we preserve fruit in heavy syrup and we do this with a variety of fruit so we use 3- 4 different kinds such as cherries, oranges, bitter oranges green, bitter orange peel, citrus, bergamot, walnut, etc., any type you prefer.  The fruit is placed in a strainer for 3 – 4 days so that the syrup is drained.

Wash out the syrup, strain them for 2 – 3 days and then cut them in small cubes. Otherwise use dried candied fruit.

The almonds to be used in the frosting should also be blanched and left to dry for a few days.

I won’t add a lot of photographs this year as you may see the procedure in last year’s cake.

Feeding the fruit cake

In a few days, wet the cake with cherry brandy, wrap and refrigerate. Repeat after a few days.

Spread the lemon jam (without peels) on top of the cake and prepare almond paste (like marzipan).

Next step prepare and add the Almond Paste

Add the almond paste and let it dry for 2 -3 days .

Royal Icing

After the almond paste dries, it’s time to add the royal icing.

This frosting not only gives a nice snowy look but it also keeps the cake sealed airtight .

It therefore, can be preserved for a very long time.

After cutting it, it keep it covered for up to a couple of weeks.

White Christmas Cake image

White Christmas Fruit Cake

Yield: 20
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.

Ingredients

  • 170 grams butter
  • 200 grams dark brown sugar
  • 226 grams self raising flour
  • 118 ml. (1/2 cup) cherry brandy or brandy
  • 50 grams sultana raisins
  • 50 grams craisins
  • 140 grams blanched almonds finely chopped
  • 150 grams (dried spoon sweets or dried fruit (I used cherries, quince and lemon)
  • 75 grams dried pineapple
  • 60 grams pistachios
  • 60 grams pecans
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg.
  • ½ tsp freshly ground cloves
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spices
  • A pinch of salt
  • Apricot or other jam (I used lemon jam)

Almond Paste

  • 200 gr. almonds, blanched and ground
  • 250 gr. icing sugar
  • 2 egg whites whipped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp blossom or rose water
  • 1 vanillin

Feeding the cake:

  • 1/2 cup cherry brandy

Royal Frosting

  • 2 egg whites lightly beaten
  • 240 grams icing sugar, sieved
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 vanillins

Instructions

Prepare the cake:

  1. Whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy.
  2. Add eggs one by one and then add brandy. Sift the flour and add all the other dry ingredients to flour and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the whipped butter.
  3. Line the base of a buttered cake tin with parchment paper, and using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared 28 cm. diameter tin, Spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon.
  4. Pre-heat the oven to 180o C and bake the cake for about 1 hour or until after inserting a knife in the middle of the cake, it comes out dry and clean.
  5. Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, and then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  6. Wrap with cling film and place in the refrigerator.

Feeding the cake:

  1. Unwrap the cake and feed the cake with a few tablespoons cherry brandy for three days.

Almond Paste:

  1. Blanch the almonds and let them dry. Grind them in any way you like but they must be really thin.
  2. Whip the egg whites until frothy but you don't have to make them into meringue.
  3. Sieve the icing sugar and add the almonds as well as all the other ingredients and knead until a thick paste is formed.
  4. Spread the paste all over the cake with a knife and let it dry for two - three days.

Royal Frosting:

  1. Sieve the sugar and add the vanillins.
  2. Beat the egg whites until frothy.
  3. Add sugar a spoonful at a time, as well as the lemon juice, mixing each time, until a nice thick cream is formed.
  4. Spread the icing and add the decorations before it becomes hard.
Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 449Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 55mgSodium 412mgCarbohydrates 60gFiber 4gSugar 44gProtein 8g

"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."

Did you make this recipe?

Tried this recipe? Tag me @ivyliac and use the hashtag #kopiaste!

Wishing you all A Merry Christmas!

Christmas Desserts

Looking for inspiration for this Christmas?

Collage White Christmas Cake image

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

Sharing is caring!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sunita

Tuesday 1st of December 2009

Ivy, your cake looks beautiful and I love the cute angel too!

Sunshinemom

Wednesday 7th of January 2009

Your cake looks so angelic, Ivy! Thanks for the entry:)

Aparna

Tuesday 9th of December 2008

Your cake looks so perfect for Christmas- white. I love that little angel on it.

PG

Sunday 7th of December 2008

looks beautiful! a preftect christmas cake. a fruit cake and a white frosting. wonderful!

Cakelaw

Sunday 7th of December 2008

This is a beautiful cake Ivy, and the angel on top is just perfect.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Privacy Policy · Copyright
Skip to Recipe