Christmas

Light Christmas Cake Recipe

Looking for an easy light Christmas cake recipe? Here’s a lovely recipe for light fruit cake that’s easy to bake and tastes delicious.

A much more subtle and less overpowering cake that’s still got all the Christmassy flavour, if you’re after a light Christmas cake recipe, we’ve got the perfect one to try. This easy Christmas cake recipe is sure to put a smile on your face!

At a Glance

Servings:

16-20 People

Prep Time:

25 min

Cooking Time:

3 hours

How to make Light Christmas Cake

Making a light Christmas cake is easier than making a full-on Christmas pudding. We’ve got the best recipe for light fruit cake which will help you to create a yummy festive delight for your family or friends (or even just as a treat for yourself!)

What you'll need:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
4 ounces candied citron or fruit
1/2 cup candied cherries, halved
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs

Method:

Put the fruit (apricots, sultanas, raisins) into the bowl and mix with brandy (or orange juice if you prefer an alcohol-free pud). Top tip: If you’ve got time to play with, it’s a good idea to leave the bowl overnight so that the alcohol (or juice) soaks in for extra flavour.
Next add the nuts into the mix. Combine with the lemon zest, ginger, cherries and rinds.
Get all that yumminess mixed together in the bowl by whisking it with sugar and butter. Then add the eggs by beating them one at a time. At this point you can also add in the flour, salt and almonds, and then your fruit and nut mixtures.
Prepare a cake tin by greasing it with butter.
Next add the mixture into the cake tin, ensuring it’s slightly hollow in the centre and the top is nice and smooth.
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees, gas mark 3 or 325F.
Place the cake in the oven for one hour.
Bring the temperature down to 150 degrees after the hour is up, and then cook for around 2 more hours.
You’ll know your cake is done when you put a fork or skewer in the middle and it comes out dry.

*Recipe adapted from Foodista, licensed under CC BY 3.0.