Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas Fruit cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.
Wow, how time flies and it’s time to make the Christmas Cake again. I have been making this same Christmas Cake for ever, long before I was married.
This year I have decided to change everything. Firstly I’ve changed the decoration.
They do not make Christmas Cakes in Greece so I cannot find new Christmas ornaments to put on my Christmas Cake. Last year my sister gave me this beautiful Angel which I think it is perfect for my cake.
Update 2019:
I made this cake again this year. I have kept some of my old pictures. However, this year I have covered and decorated the cake with fondant instead of Royal Icing.
I changed a few of the ingredients in the cake as well. I added different spoon sweets. Quince and cherries which were the only ones I had at home.
I made a lemon peel marmalade which I made in the winter and still have. I removed most of the jam and kept the lemon peels. I added pineapple, craisins, pecans and pistachios. Finally I added a new spice for the first time in this cake: ginger.
The other thing I did this year is that I wrapped the cake in cling film and had it in the refrigerator. Every 2 – 3 days, I unwrap the cake and wet it with cherry brandy. This was repeated 2 – 3 times until I added the first layer of lemon jam and then the frosting.
How to make the fruit cake
Before starting the cake, a few things have to be done first. The first thing is to dry the fruit preserves. In Greece and Cyprus we preserve fruit in heavy syrup and we do this with a variety of fruit so we use 3- 4 different kinds such as cherries, oranges, bitter oranges green, bitter orange peel, citrus, bergamot, walnut, etc., any type you prefer. The fruit is placed in a strainer for 3 – 4 days so that the syrup is drained.
Wash out the syrup, strain them for 2 – 3 days and then cut them in small cubes. Otherwise use dried candied fruit.
The almonds to be used in the frosting should also be blanched and left to dry for a few days.
I won’t add a lot of photographs this year as you may see the procedure in last year’s cake.
Feeding the fruit cake
In a few days, wet the cake with cherry brandy, wrap and refrigerate. Repeat after a few days.
Spread the lemon jam (without peels) on top of the cake and prepare almond paste (like marzipan).
Next step prepare and add the Almond Paste
Add the almond paste and let it dry for 2 -3 days .
Royal Icing
After the almond paste dries, it’s time to add the royal icing.
This frosting not only gives a nice snowy look but it also keeps the cake sealed airtight .
It therefore, can be preserved for a very long time.
After cutting it, it keep it covered for up to a couple of weeks.
White Christmas Fruit Cake
Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.
Ingredients
- 170 grams butter
- 200 grams dark brown sugar
- 226 grams self raising flour
- 118 ml. (1/2 cup) cherry brandy or brandy
- 50 grams sultana raisins
- 50 grams craisins
- 140 grams blanched almonds finely chopped
- 150 grams (dried spoon sweets or dried fruit (I used cherries, quince and lemon)
- 75 grams dried pineapple
- 60 grams pistachios
- 60 grams pecans
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 4 large eggs
- ½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg.
- ½ tsp freshly ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ginger
- 1 tsp mixed spices
- A pinch of salt
- Apricot or other jam (I used lemon jam)
Almond Paste
- 200 gr. almonds, blanched and ground
- 250 gr. icing sugar
- 2 egg whites whipped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp blossom or rose water
- 1 vanillin
Feeding the cake:
- 1/2 cup cherry brandy
Royal Frosting
- 2 egg whites lightly beaten
- 240 grams icing sugar, sieved
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 vanillins
Instructions
Prepare the cake:
- Whisk the butter and sugar together until it's light, pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs one by one and then add brandy. Sift the flour and add all the other dry ingredients to flour and mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the whipped butter.
- Line the base of a buttered cake tin with parchment paper, and using a large kitchen spoon, transfer the cake mixture into the prepared 28 cm. diameter tin, Spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180o C and bake the cake for about 1 hour or until after inserting a knife in the middle of the cake, it comes out dry and clean.
- Cool the cake for 30 minutes in the tin, and then remove it to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Wrap with cling film and place in the refrigerator.
Feeding the cake:
- Unwrap the cake and feed the cake with a few tablespoons cherry brandy for three days.
Almond Paste:
- Blanch the almonds and let them dry. Grind them in any way you like but they must be really thin.
- Whip the egg whites until frothy but you don't have to make them into meringue.
- Sieve the icing sugar and add the almonds as well as all the other ingredients and knead until a thick paste is formed.
- Spread the paste all over the cake with a knife and let it dry for two - three days.
Royal Frosting:
- Sieve the sugar and add the vanillins.
- Beat the egg whites until frothy.
- Add sugar a spoonful at a time, as well as the lemon juice, mixing each time, until a nice thick cream is formed.
- Spread the icing and add the decorations before it becomes hard.
Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 449Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 55mgSodium 412mgCarbohydrates 60gFiber 4gSugar 44gProtein 8g
"These values are automatically calculated and offered for guidance only. Their accuracy is not guaranteed."
Wishing you all A Merry Christmas!
Christmas Desserts
Looking for inspiration for this Christmas?
Gingerbread Cookies with Carob Syrup
These gingerbread cookies are made with carob syrup instead of molasses and perfect to add to your Christmas cookies recipes.
Diples
Diples (pronounced diip-LESS), which means folded, is another traditional Christmas sweet pastry, made in many parts of Greece especially in the Peloponnese. These are the desserts they serve at weddings, christenings, engagements etc. but are also very popular during Christmas.
Melomakarona with Chocolate
Melomakarona are spicy Christmas olive oil and semolina cookies drenched in a honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts on top.
Mandarin Melomakarona
"Melomakarona" (honey cookies) is a traditional recipe made during Christmas. The cookies are made with olive oil and drenched in a honey syrup, with lots of walnuts on top.
Traditional Greek Baklavas
The traditional Greek baklavas, is made with many layers of thin sheets of "phyllo kroustas",  which are brushed with butter, with various kinds of nuts and spices added between the layers and sweetened with honey syrup.
Eggless Nanaimo Salepi (Sahlab) Bars
Nanaimo Bars are a classic Canadian Christmas dessert. They are made with a chocolate biscuit base, coconut, and walnut crust then topped with a layer of custard and topped with chocolate.
Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade
This Christmas Chocolate Wafer Coconut Roulade is made with a biscuit base crust and is filled with pastry cream, topped with chocolate ganache.
Christmas Chocolate Carob Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
A Yule log (or bûche de Noël in French, is a traditional Christmas dessert made of a yellow sponge cake which is shaped into a roulade in order to create a chopped branch.
White Christmas Fruit Cake
Ever since the British occupation of Cyprus, Christmas cake has been a big part of our holiday celebrations. Many families have a traditional recipe for a Christmas Cake and ours is no exception.
Traditional Christmas Cake
A traditional Christmas cake recipe which is filled with homemade fruit preserve, as well as nuts, raisins brandy and treacle.
Vanillekipferl (Christmas Almond Crescent Cookies)
Vanillekipferl are cookies which originate from Austria and can be found in many other countries such as Germany, Hungary and otheer Eastern European counties.
Chocolate Kourabiedes
These chocolate kourabiedes are made with buffalo milk butter and cocoa powder and filled with dark chocolate and orange preserve.
Easy Chocolate Truffles from Christmas Leftovers
These truffles are an ingenious way to use up leftover kourabiedes, melomakarona, Christmas Cake, or Cookies.
Melomakarona with Pecans
Melomakarona with Pecans are one of our Christmas traditional cookies which are infused in honey. They have no butter, no eggs, nothing dairy but they are so tasty you cannot just eat one.Â
Kourabiedes by Parliaros
These kourabiedes are adapted from the famous Greek pastry chef, Stelios Parliaros.
Aromatic Greek Kourabiedes
These aromatic Kourabiedes (Greek Christmas cookies) are flavoured with vanilla and citrus blossom water.
Melt in your mouth Kourabiedes
Kourabies (pl. kourabiedes) are the Greek shortbread cookies made during Christmas. In the older times, before the use of the mixer, these cookies needed elaborate preparation and that was done by hand, so these were made for special occasions such as weddings, christenings and other celebrations.
Black Lava Orange Gateau, A gourmet dessert made out of leftovers
This Black Lava Orange Gateau, is easy to make and was made out of leftover Christmas Cookies. Everyboday gets fed up of eating the same cookies for many days, so I decided to use my leftovers and make a new dessert which we enjoyed after the holidays!
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
Sunita
Tuesday 1st of December 2009
Ivy, your cake looks beautiful and I love the cute angel too!
Sunshinemom
Wednesday 7th of January 2009
Your cake looks so angelic, Ivy! Thanks for the entry:)
Aparna
Tuesday 9th of December 2008
Your cake looks so perfect for Christmas- white. I love that little angel on it.
PG
Sunday 7th of December 2008
looks beautiful! a preftect christmas cake. a fruit cake and a white frosting. wonderful!
Cakelaw
Sunday 7th of December 2008
This is a beautiful cake Ivy, and the angel on top is just perfect.