Three Day Christmas Cake

Stir up Sunday traditionally falls on the last Sunday in November and marks, for many, the beginning of Christmas preparations. But if you don’t have time to spend a month labouring over your Christmas cake our chef Adam has come up with a three day Christmas cake that still packs the punch of a traditional cake in a fraction of the time.

Three Day Christmas Cake
makes 26cm cake

Fruit mix:

200g currants
200g raisins
200g sour cherries (roughly chopped)
175g dried figs (roughly chopped)
110g Medjool dates
1 zest & juice orange
1 zest & juice lemon
100ml brandy
50ml spiced rum

1. Combine all of the above ingredients together and place into a sealed container at room temperature for at least 3 days.


Cake mix:

225g plain flour
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ tsp ground ginger
175g soft butter (plus a little extra for greasing)
175g soft dark brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
100g black treacle

1. Pre-heat over to 140°c.
2. Grease a 26cm springform cake tin and double line the base and sides with grease proof paper.
3. Sift flour and dried spices together.
4. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add egg gradually, mixing constantly to prevent splitting.
6. Beat in black treacle.
7. Fold in flour and spice mix.
8. Finally mix in the marinated fruits and any liquid from the container.
9. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top evenly.
10. Place a buttered round of greaseproof paper on top of the cake.
11. Bake for 2 hours.
12. Remove paper from top of cake and bake for further 30
13. The cake is ready when a skewer come out clean when inserted into the middle
14. Cool cake in the tin
15. Decorate with marzipan or just a dusting of icing sugar