Christmas fruit cake recipes

Perfect for so many occasions (how many cakes are suitable for celebrating a christening *and* signifying Judas's betrayal of Christ?), the humble fruit cake is the cornerstone of home baking and the tastiest of Christmas traditions. Whether you're marzipanning, Royal-icing or dunking in your tea, a never-fail recipe is a must, so we've rounded up the three best recipes for you to try. 

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Best for... works every time

Dillonsgranma shares this 'go to' recipe - simple, but effective.

Ingredients

• 225g butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 225g dried mixed fruit
• 4 eggs
• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. 
2. Cream the butter and sugar together. 
3. Add one egg, 55g of the flour and 55g of fruit at a time and stir well until all the ingredients are mixed together. This stops the fruit sinking to the bottom of the cake. 
4. Bake in the oven for about two hours or until golden brown. A skewer should comes out clean from the centre of cake.

Best for... speedy baking 

jintzy's recipe gives you a delicious fruit cake in just two steps - perfect for when you want a last-minute teatime treat.

Ingredients

• 340g dried fruit
• 225g sugar
• 225g cooking margarine
• 450g self-raising flour sifted with mixed spice added.
• 1 egg beaten with ¼ litre milk

Method

1. Boil the first three ingredients together for three minutes and allow to cool. 
2. Mix this with all the other ingredients and tip it into a lined tin. Cover with two layers of foil and bake at 180°C for two hours, removing the foil for the final 30 minutes.

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Best for... the classic 

Gally brings us her ultimate fruitcake - plenty of dried fruit, and you can even swap the water for tea! 

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour
• 340g mixed dried fruit
• 115g margarine
• 1 egg, beaten (you can use 2 if you like)
• ¼ pint water
• 115g brown sugar
• Pinch of mixed spice

Method

1. Put the water, margarine, sugar and fruit into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool.
2. Add the egg(s) and stir in flour and spices.
3. Place mixture into a 20cm lined tin and bake in a very moderate oven (150°C), for about one hour.

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