Twelve Days of Irish Recipes: Catherine's Christmas Cake
Written by Ciaran on Dec 01, 2025 | 0 Comments
We always get unbelievable feedback from you all when we share our recipes for traditional Irish treats. We're a little food-obsessed here, too. So this year, we thought we would go all out. We're sharing one of our own recipes each day as part of our 12 Days of Christmas offers, inspired by that traditional carol, and the funny Irish version, Christmas Countdown.
From Christmas morning breakfast through to after dinner drinks, the My Irish Jeweler team will be sharing recipes that make the season bright (and tasty)!
Christmas Cake
Nearly every household in Ireland has a recipe for Christmas Cake. And if they don't make it themselves, you can be sure there’s a friend or relative who does it for them. They may vary slightly, but they are typically spicy, moist, and stuffed to the brim with fruit and nuts. The spices and fruit are all-important as they reportedly represent the gifts brought by the three wise men.
We have good reason to start with dessert with this recipe - it requires serious planning and TIME! Christmas Cake is traditionally made several weeks before the big day, so it can be “fed” whiskey to ensure it packs a punch. Before serving, the finished cake is often iced and elaborately decorated with ribbons, holly sprigs and anything else that strikes the maker’s fancy.
All this work combines for a cake that looks as dramatic as it tastes. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without one! Not for the faint of heart, making a Christmas Cake is a labor of love that will take weeks. Several of the My Irish Jeweler team are lucky to enjoy this recipe every year! The cakes are artfully made, decorated, and gifted by Catherine, Gemma's talented and extremely industrious mother-in-law! We have no idea how Catherine manages it, but we look forward to this cake every year.
Ingredients
- 450g (1 lb) sultanas
- 225g (1/2 lb) raisins
- 225g (1/2 lb) currants
- 100g (4 oz) candied cherries, halved or whole, not chopped
- 50g (2 oz) mixed candied peel, finely chopped - you can leave these out if you can’t find it
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mixed spice (a Christmas spice that is equal parts allspice, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
- grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
- grated zest & juice of 1 orange
- 4 tablespoons Irish Whiskey - whichever you like but Jameson is traditional
All of the above should be soaked together overnight before being incorporated into the mix. Don't skip this step! Your finished cake will be dry rather than moist if you do.
- 1 large apple finely grated
- 100g (4 oz) slivered almonds
- 1 tablespoon Golden syrup
- 280g (10 oz) Irish butter - this needs to be butter and it should be salted
- 225g (8 0z) soft brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 280g (10 oz) plain, all-purpose flour
- 50g (2 oz) ground almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (add an extra pinch if you had to use unsalted butter above)
- 2 more tablespoons of Irish Whiskey for pouring over the cake when cooked
Method
- Soak your fruit in spiced whiskey and fruit juices overnight
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) - this cake cooks for a long time!
- Line your 8 or 9-inch cake tin with greased baking paper - we grease this with butter to make sure the cake comes out easily!
- Whisk butter and sugar together in a large bowl until it is creamy and a light color
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, making sure each is fully incorporated before adding the next. If your mix isn't coming together at this stage, add a spoonful of flour and mix again; that should help.
- Mix your flour, salt and ground almonds in a smaller bowl
- Fold your flour mixture into the butter, sugar, and egg mixture - this should be done with a wooden spoon, not a mixer, or your cake will be chewy.
- Finally, fold in your soaked fruits. This will take some real elbow grease, as the mixture should be thick and pretty sticky! In many homes, this work is shared, and everyone in the family gives the mix ‘a stir’, making a wish for the coming year. Traditionally, the youngest goes first.
- Spoon or pour your mixture into your lined baking tin and smooth off the top of the cake with a wet spoon, making it dip slightly in the center - this should give you a level cake after it rises.
- Place a circle of baking paper over the top of the cake if you wish to prevent it from browning too much, and put it in the oven for 3.5 hours!
- Resist the urge to check on the cake - just enjoy the Christmassy smell!
- Take the cake out and check if it is cooked by putting a skewer into the center. If it is dry when it comes out, the cake is done. If there is cake mix sticking to the skewer, put it back in for another 15 to 20 minutes. Repeat this step until the cake is cooked - we told you it's a labor of love!
- Let the cake cool in the tin overnight.
- Carefully take the cake out of the tin the following day, using a knife to peel off the paper.
- Turn the cake upside down and skewer it in 5 or 6 places to make small holes.
- Using a teaspoon, ladle the 2 oz of whiskey into the holes to “feed” the cake.
- Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper tied up with string or an elastic band
- Repeat steps 15 to 17 each week, ideally several times in the run-up to Christmas, spooning over a small amount of whiskey (or brandy, if you prefer). We recommend flipping the cake each time, so whiskey is added from top and bottom to make sure every part gets a good “feed.”
- Re-wrap the cake each time - again a lot of work but worth it!
- You can leave the cake un-iced with just a dusting of icing sugar. Or ice your cake with a layer of marzipan and royal icing, anything from 24 hrs to 1 week before Christmas.
- Decorate it however you like with cake ornaments, dried fruit, holly leaves, ribbon, etc.
- Serve on Christmas day, on its own or with whipped cream, custard or even ice cream and enjoy your hard work! A hot cup of tea, coffee, or even Irish Coffee goes well too!
- Enjoy this cake for each of the 12 days of Christmas and Nollaig Na mBan. If there is any left over after all that, it should keep for weeks (and some say months) wrapped in tinfoil in a cake tin. I admit I have enjoyed some of this cake, which had been carefully stored, on St. Patrick's Day! I am also a fan of it mixed into vanilla ice cream.
What's Next?
Check back in with us tomorrow for Day 2 of our Twelve Days of Irish Christmas, or open door number 1 of our 12 Days of Christmas offers! And, of course, if you need any help selecting a gift for yourself or a loved one, please do get in touch.
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Ciaran
My Irish Jeweler
Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!
I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!
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