Stir It Up Christmas Cake Recipe

The last Sunday before Advent is synonymous with making puddings and cakes for Christmas, with 1 month to Christmas Eve 😅♥️

Everyone gets a chance to ‘have a stir’ and make a wish and in our house the youngest goes first!

On this day, families traditionally gather in kitchens to start making their Christmas cakes ready for the big day on 25th December and everyone gets a chance to ‘have a stir’ and make a wish and in our house the youngest goes first!

Every year I make 8 Christmas Cakes as now we have a tradition of gifting them to family and friends. My mother in law taught me this recipe way back when ♥️

Below are the ingredients you’ll need….. something to look forward to

Ingredients: Day 1

(Bowl 1/Stage 1)

• 340g raisins

• 340g sultanas

• 340g currents

• 60g mixed peel

• 85g cherries

• 100g chopped almonds

• 1 cup good quality Whiskey

Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and pour over the whiskey making sure all fruit is mixed through. Cover with cling film. Best to use a glass Pyrex bowl so that the cling film sticks good and tight. Leave in a cool dry place until next Sunday and the fruit will become plump and drunk

Remainder of ingredients for Day 2

• 225g cream flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 level teaspoon mixed spice

• 226g unsalted butter

• 226g soft brown sugar

• Lyles Black treacle

• 4 eggs

You will also need:

Baking parchment paper

A 12” cake tin (I separate into two 6” tins as perfect for gifting )

Tin foil

Stage 2 - lining your Tin/s

12” tin or two 6” tins with removable base

Parchment paper

Tinfoil

Butter

Pastry brush

Trace two circles of the base of your tin out on parchment paper and cut

Do the same on tinfoil x 1 circle

Cut two long rectangular layers of parchment to line the sides of your tin

Melt butter and brush the inside and outside of all cut pieces of parchment paper

Now line your 12” or in my case two 6” tins put the circular tin foil x 1 on the bottom 

The butter acts as a glue and you should finish with a neatly lined tin ready for your Christmas cake mix on the day 2!

Day 2 - The Finale - Here it is ♥️

At this point you’ll have your fruit soaking in a large bowl and your tin lined and ready. Now to bring it all together!

Stage 3

In a clean bowl, sieve 225g flour, 1/4 level teaspoon salt and 1 level teaspoon mixed spice

In a separate clean bowl put 226g cubes of unsalted butter and 226g soft brown sugar

Mix in a Kitchen Aid or with a hand mixer until pale and creamy

Add 4 beaten eggs SLOWLY to this mix as it will curdle otherwise

Once it is complete, add 1.5 level tablespoons of Lyles black treacle 

Now, to bring it all together

Add a spoonful at a time; the flour mixture into the buttery, treacle mix

Once this is all brought together, add your plump, drunken fruit in and mix with a wooden spoon and this is when you ‘stir it all up’ and the entire family can have a go and make a wish ☺️

Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and place in a 140° pre-heated oven for 3 hours, lowering the temperature at this point for a further 1 - 1.5 hours ♥️♥️♥️