Lemon Drizzle Christmas Cake

A slightly different take on Christmas Cake. Rich in spices and simply delicious. Ideal for the festive days of December if you’re in the mood to make a Christmas cake with a twist.

 

Preparation time:  15'

Cooking time:  1 hour

Servings: 12 slices

Calories per serving:  482

 

For this cake you are going to need our Bundt Pan

Ingredients

For the dry fruits:

150 g raisins

50 g glacé cherries, cut in half

50 g dried apricots, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

40 g brandy

 

For the cake

150g butter, chopped

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 large eggs, at room temperature

300 g. brown sugar

360g all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 teaspoon mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

150 g whole milk

 

For the lemon frosting:

2 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature

160 g icing sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 

3 Tablespoons lemon juice, more if needed

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Method

1. First prepare the Bundt Pan. Grease the inside of the pan, taking care to get into all the nooks and dents. Generously dust with sieved cocoa powder. 
2. To prepare the dry fruits, place all the ingredients in a bowl and let them soak in the brandy for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 160°C. 
4. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, mixed spice, nutmeg, salt, pepper and milk. Beat on a low speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to over beat. Finally, fold in the soaked fruits and any brandy left in the bowl with a spatula.
5. Transfer the cake mixture to the baking pan and place in the oven. Bake for about 1hour - 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 40 minutes, then turn the cake over onto a serving platter.
6. To make the icing, in a medium bowl, mix together the butter, icing sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice and vanilla until they come together.
7. Drizzle the icing over the cake, allow the icing to dry and serve!