Hi Bold Bakers! I hope you make this Irish Christmas Cake part of your family tradition. Print the recipe here: www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/. What are some of your favorite holiday baking traditions?
With a Caribbean background, we make these cakes, but we call it black/fruit cake. My grandmother used to soak the fruits for about 3-6 months in alcohol before making the cake for Christmas. What a great tradition is it.
My heavens that is one lovely and yummy Christmas cake. It’ll take some beating. I’m going to make it but I’m also going to add Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almond, maybe some macadamia and chocolate whilst all the recipe stays the same. I must have a dense fruit and nutty cake. I’m buts about nuts in chocolate (white and dark) and cake. Thank you for this gorgeous recipe.😊❤
Growing up , my mother always made Irish friendship bread for the holidays. She said that you had to plan to share it with friends or the bread wouldn't rise. I am 77 and still remember to do this and passed that on to my daughter.
Most of my family was German but we'd have store bought Christmas cake when I was a kid. I remember liking it. My boyfriend LOVES his Irish Whiskey, he's had all kinds. I'll have to tell him about yours.
My grandmother used to sit at the table and cut her dried fruit. I remember sitting and watching her. She let me have a few pieces. She'd marinate hers too. Then lett them dry a bit before using the flour. After baking She'd soak the cakes in rum. One for you one for me. It was the only time i ever saw my grandmother soused. It was funny. The family said that we could keep the cake forever because it was mostly rum. We lost her recipe but yours looks similar. Thank you. She was irish. Our family were pirates too.
Omg that looks so yum. I too felt christmas smell around my kitchen when you took your cake from yr oven. ❤thanks Gemma for this recipe. I am from Sri Lanka and I do our traditional xmas cake. But this time I am going to follow yr recipe
This looks wonderful! I grew up in the deep south of US and love fruitcake at the holidays. I like Dates instead of raisins and pecans instead of almonds but the cherries and everything else is very similar. I love everything Irish and appreciate you sharing your recipes with us!💚☘️🥮
My mother used to buy baby bottles of whiskey or (when feeling extravagant) flasks to use when feeding her Christmas cakes. She was a hive of industry- making at least 10 Christmas puddings and 4 or 5 Christmas cakes. Some Christmas puds were donated to the local ICA cake sale for charity. Some were given away and at least one or two kept for Easter. Apart from the one cake chosen for Christmas (and iced with almond and royal icing) the extra Christmas cakes were kept for our birthdays during the year. Once or twice there was a leftover cake which she kept and fed once or twice a year, I remember eating one that was 7 or 8 years old and it was perfect!
The cake is now resting on a high shelf in the kitchen waiting for a couple more "feedings" before Christmas. Made the candied peel and glace cherries using your recipes (super easy) and it was totally worth it. Next year I'll start three months earlier rather than three weeks. Cheers🌲
It makes a difference - the whiskey! I hope you'll give it a go. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
Thank you so much for posting this video. I have some Irish heritage, with two of my great-grandfathers being Irishmen, but I don't have any Irish desert recipes for the Holidays. I look forward to trying this. It looks and sounds delicious.
Thank you so very much Gemma for your Aunty Rosaleen’s Traditional Christmas Cake. This is my 3rd year baking your Aunty’s Christmas Cake, my family just love the Christmas Cake💕 Thank you for sharing the recipe. 💝🎉 You’re the best
This recipe is very similar to that which is used in the caribbean. Except, we add "drowning" (sugar & water caramel) to make the cake brown. The color depends on your own taste Fruits normally include prunes and currants, as well. . Thanks for sharing. Love from Trinidad.
Watched your video and knew immediately that I had to try it. First time baking a Christmas cake and it’s now baking in my oven. It smells absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try some, so Christmas can’t get here quick enough 😊. Thank you so much.
I'm happy to hear that! Go ahead and give this a try. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
This is an amazing recipe! It’s traditional. I love it. Thanks for making a video of it. It’s a lot of baking time, but I understand why you do it. Wow!
I'm delighted to hear that. It's due to popular demand, that I finally made a video for this crowd pleaser! I hope you'll give it a go! Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
My dog ate the fruitcake! I live in North Carolina, and fruitcakes were always made by my family. My mother kept hers in tins and fed them over couple months...one time she had them out feeding them, went to answer the phone and our boxer dog ate one. The dog slept all afternoon and evening and mom called the vet. She was fine, but beware your fruitcake ;).
Thank you, Gemma, for such a traditional old Irish recipe. I might try to make this this year, even though I've never baked a cake like this. Your recipe makes it look simple.
I modified this recipe slightly last year and it was wonderful! My mum hates candied peel so I had to leave that out. I just made up for it with extra fruit. I’ve never actually had a Christmas cake without icing though and it never even dawned on me to try it that way. I always do the marzipan and royal icing but both of them make me a little nervous as they include raw eggs. If I make a cake again this year I may just leave the icing off. Thanks for the inspiration.
Oh I definitely want to bake this one as it is a light (colour) cake. I have been using a recipe from a previous Chef to the Queen and it takes 12 eggs, very rich and has Rum poured over. I do NOT like the usual fruitcake mix with citrus peels, so I add raisins (even sultanas) cherries and glazed fruit cut into smaller pieces. I also bake mine in a big breadpan that is permanently wrapped in a couple layers of brown paper for even baking. I like the loaf form as it's easier to slice and store. I will compare my recipe with yours, but I do want to try yours as well
Very nice recipie Gemma! They looks amazing! Where you get you amazing big bowl wen you use in these video? Have a nice day and good weekend! Have a good week! 👍👏🍴
My mother used to make similar cakes and wrap them in booze-soaked cheesecloth, which she "refreshed" several times until they came out from under her bed where she kept them hidden before the holidays.
@@biggerbolderbaking YES! I'm making the candied peel and cherries for your Aunty's cake using your recipes! I can't bring myself to by the embalmed, store-bought stuff.
My pleasure 😊 For tips and the full written recipe, find the information here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
We must postpone Christmas, I haven't made your cake yet and it needs 3 months of whiskey feeding and maturing... Another georgeous recipie, thank you 👍
Hi Gemma Love your Xmas cake recipe, I put mixed fruit, peel and cherries in mine. I soak my fruit in sherry because i don't like the taste of whiskey. I use dark molasses sugar, some black treacle and instant coffee, it makes a very dark cake, i wrap it in cling film, put it in a airtight container and i feed it until the liquid starts coming out the bottom. Carol
I've been making stollen to share with friends or co-workers for a few years, and I currently have a batch of dried fruit that had been soaking in rum for about 9 months! Maybe I'll try this recipe for a slight change, with an alcohol-free alteration for my Muslim friends.
@@biggerbolderbaking Thanks. I'll go see if I can find a bottle of O'Driscoll's in one of the local stores. Might as well use the proper ingredients if I can get them.
I love fruitcake and make it every couple of years. Instead of poking holes in the cake I always soak cheesecloth in the booze (I usually use brandy), wrap the cake in it and then wrap in wax paper and then foil wrap. Once the cheesecloth dries out I re-soak it and repeat until it no longer dries out because the cake has absorbed as much as it wants. I then freeze the cake and even months later that last cheesecloth soak is still damp.
My gran was born in Cork and she made this for Christmas using Kilbeggan’s as we had cousins who worked a nearby grist mill. She made a non whiskey version for the kids using a simple syrup with vanilla and maple syrup for the feed. It’s much like my paternal grandma’s Kinder (Kids) bread. I’m in NY and I use Green Spot Single Pot Still as Kilbeggan’s can’t be had in US.Your families whiskey sounds interesting.
Yes, you can bake this in a long loaf pan. Baking time should be the same. If not, keep an eye on it, when it starts to separate around the edges and turns a golden brown color, then it's done. Do a cake test to be sure.
My Aunt would make fruit cake for family and friends but she would always ask do you want spirits in it or not, she would feed it for a couple of weeks ❤
The default oven for most recipes, this one included, is that of a standard oven - fan off. Also, if you check my recipes, units for temperature include both C and F, cups, grams and oz for ingredients. For best results, follow the recipe, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/ Hope this helps.
We moved to a new place with more room for our little family. As I work from home, we also needed room for a test kitchen, and a bigger kitchen to shoot new videos - it is also where I cook meals for our family.
Hello from County Meath 😊 I've never made a Christmas cake, its something i say I'll do every year but don't get round to it, unfortunately i cant eat gluten any more (pretty sure i'm ceoliac but wont be tested for it) but i make puddings with mam (she makes maybe 15 + every year, my husband made her a big boiler for outside and can boil 6 or 7 at a time). Think I'll just have to try 1 this year but unfortunately won't get to taste it 😢
Hi. You can make a gluten free version of this by using a gluten free all purpose flour blend. It won't be exactly the same, but it will yield a result that is close to one made with flour. Hope this helps.
I would not recommend water as a substitute. You can use orange juice however. The alcohol preserves the cake, so without it, I would say consume within a week and store in the fridge in between.
Hi. I haven't tried it, but you can try substituting ingredients; margarine for butter, and dairy free buttermilk for the yogurt. My homemade buttermilk substitute uses milk, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-buttermilk/ but you can try using dairy free milk instead. Here's my recipe for crescent rolls, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-crescent-rolls/#wprm-recipe-container-39335
I don't recommend it. We feed our Christmas cake with alcohol to help preserve the cake as it ages. Juice will not do the same to your cake. Hope this helps.
I can look into it. The yule log might not be possible as you need to bake it as a thin sheet first before filling and rolling. As to the fruitcake, a variation of it might be possible if made as a mug cake, but I would expect it to be very different from the traditional fruitcake.
A barmbrack www.biggerbolderbaking.com/traditional-irish-barmbrack/#wprm-recipe-container-29793 is not as rich as a Christmas cake www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884 and is more of a bread than cake. Whiskey is used in a Christmas cake while tea is used in a barmbrack. Hope this helps.
Great recipe. I'd like to see a video on traditional Halloween foods in Ireland. Are there any besides Champ, Barm Brack, and Colcannon? Also, a video where you make Potato Farls and Boxty and explain how they are not the same thing. And a video where you make Champ and Colcannon and explain the diffences as well. Americans think of these as St. Patrick's Day foods and use the names interchangeably. It's annoying to me, and I'm American.
Alas I can't make a traditional Christmas cake any more. Nobody likes it, but when I did I used to soak the dried fruit (raisins/currants/sultanas), nuts & diced cherries in a similar bowl to the footage) on the last Friday in Oct, till the following Monday. It's a holiday weekend here in Ireland the last Mon in Oct. On the Monday I would make the cake, but never "fed" it.😂. It was delicious. I can't eat dried fruit anymore.😢
I can assure you the candied peel was good. It's homemade. As for the baking pan, we've always used a 10-inch round pan, the thickness of the cake is just right for when you feed it. But you can use a smaller one to make it a thicker cake.
I would not like this cake for a few reasons. First and foremost, I do not like the taste of whiskey, at all. Second, I do not like the spices including nutmeg and pumpkin spices (or similar). Almonds are a nut I'm not fond of except if they are encased in chocolate or on an Almond Mounds Bar! I might eat the candied cherries as they look a lot like maraschino cherries. Keeping the cake in the cupboard for several months turns me off. I understand what you say, but I've had food poisoning before and it's no fun. This cake reminds me of an American fruit cake as it is very much like it with many of the same ingredients. It is also soaked in some kind of alcohol, rum I think, but it is aged in the refrigerator. I don't eat it, either. Sure your fruitcake recipe may be different, but not significantly so.
It leans towards being compact. It is not a thin cake, just one that's packed with fruits and spices. You can opt to use a deeper pan with a smaller circumference for a thicker cake.
Hi Bold Bakers! I hope you make this Irish Christmas Cake part of your family tradition. Print the recipe here: www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/. What are some of your favorite holiday baking traditions?
Our favorite is Tiramisu ❤❤❤❤❤
Is there a Spanish or
Puerto Rican version Christmas fruitcake recipe?
Yum! My grandmother used to feed her fruitcake for weeks. She called it “doctoring”, as in “ I doctored the cake this morning.”
This is the most beautiful Christmas cake I have ever seen
Thank you! My Aunty Rosaleen will be happy to hear that.
My dad's mother made 25 pound fruit cakes for Christmas. My tradition has become Christmas pudding. Your cake sound scrumptious.
I hope you'll give my aunty's recipe a go. Thanks for sharing.
With a Caribbean background, we make these cakes, but we call it black/fruit cake. My grandmother used to soak the fruits for about 3-6 months in alcohol before making the cake for Christmas. What a great tradition is it.
Tradition is a big deal in our family. Thank you for sharing yours here.
Remember, the Irish are also very big in colonization of the carribean ... like always, the enslaved people put a twist and wallah 😂
My heavens that is one lovely and yummy Christmas cake. It’ll take some beating. I’m going to make it but I’m also going to add Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almond, maybe some macadamia and chocolate whilst all the recipe stays the same. I must have a dense fruit and nutty cake. I’m buts about nuts in chocolate (white and dark) and cake. Thank you for this gorgeous recipe.😊❤
Hope you enjoy! Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
Growing up , my mother always made Irish friendship bread for the holidays. She said that you had to plan to share it with friends or the bread wouldn't rise. I am 77 and still remember to do this and passed that on to my daughter.
That's a lovely tradition! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing
Most of my family was German but we'd have store bought Christmas cake when I was a kid. I remember liking it. My boyfriend LOVES his Irish Whiskey, he's had all kinds. I'll have to tell him about yours.
Thanks for sharing, Lisa. I hope you'll give this a go, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
Thanks Gemma l have been waiting for your cake recipe
I’m from Newfoundland Canada and this is so similar to my Nan’s Christmas fruit cake!! Hers was darker but very similar. Just lovely !
Sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing.
My grandmother used to sit at the table and cut her dried fruit. I remember sitting and watching her. She let me have a few pieces. She'd marinate hers too. Then lett them dry a bit before using the flour. After baking She'd soak the cakes in rum. One for you one for me. It was the only time i ever saw my grandmother soused. It was funny. The family said that we could keep the cake forever because it was mostly rum. We lost her recipe but yours looks similar. Thank you. She was irish. Our family were pirates too.
That is some interesting family history! I hope you'll give this a go. Get the written recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
@GemmaStafford thank you i will
Hi Aunty Rosaleen i have to try your Christmas cake it look delicious
She'll be happy to hear that! Thanks for watching and happy baking!
Cake looks good Gemma hope you have an amazing day
Thank you! You too! I really hope you'll give this a go. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
Delicious Gemma many thanks God bless nd your family
Thank you for watching. I hope you'll give this a go.
Omg that looks so yum. I too felt christmas smell around my kitchen when you took your cake from yr oven. ❤thanks Gemma for this recipe. I am from Sri Lanka and I do our traditional xmas cake. But this time I am going to follow yr recipe
Can't wait to hear how you get on with it! Thanks for watching. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
This looks wonderful! I grew up in the deep south of US and love fruitcake at the holidays. I like Dates instead of raisins and pecans instead of almonds but the cherries and everything else is very similar. I love everything Irish and appreciate you sharing your recipes with us!💚☘️🥮
I'm happy to hear that, Paula. I hope you'll give this a go, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
Oh I will be making this! Thank you!
Hope you like it! Get the written recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
Mmm yummy!😋 Love that you also tell stories about your family 🥰
Fruit and booze is exactly what I need for the holidays! This is such a great recipe, I can’t wait to make it!
Same!
Amen!
Go for it, Camille!
Yum that looks good.❤
Thank you! I hope you'll give this family recipe a go! Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
My mother used to buy baby bottles of whiskey or (when feeling extravagant) flasks to use when feeding her Christmas cakes. She was a hive of industry- making at least 10 Christmas puddings and 4 or 5 Christmas cakes. Some Christmas puds were donated to the local ICA cake sale for charity. Some were given away and at least one or two kept for Easter. Apart from the one cake chosen for Christmas (and iced with almond and royal icing) the extra Christmas cakes were kept for our birthdays during the year. Once or twice there was a leftover cake which she kept and fed once or twice a year, I remember eating one that was 7 or 8 years old and it was perfect!
Lovely tradition you have there! Thank you for sharing.
I really loved this video! It was great how you were sharing your childhood and culture with the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for being here.
Looks amazing, that's a fabulous Christmas Cake ❤
Thank you!
The cake is now resting on a high shelf in the kitchen waiting for a couple more "feedings" before Christmas. Made the candied peel and glace cherries using your recipes (super easy) and it was totally worth it. Next year I'll start three months earlier rather than three weeks. Cheers🌲
Wow that looks like a fantastic Christmas cake to make 😍 I can imagine how delicious that Irish whiskey would be in the cake.
It makes a difference - the whiskey! I hope you'll give it a go. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
Thank you so much for posting this video. I have some Irish heritage, with two of my great-grandfathers being Irishmen, but I don't have any Irish desert recipes for the Holidays. I look forward to trying this. It looks and sounds delicious.
BTW...I love your website, Bigger Bolder Baking. I can tell that you definitely know flavor.
I hope you enjoy this traditional recipe. Happy baking!
It looks lije the REAL DEAL. I want a piece. & will cook it. Helen from South Africa.
It is really a lovely holiday cake. I hope you'll give it a go!
Looking divine! I 'm gonna make a black cake this christmas, a variation on this one. I have been marinating my fruits for 4 months now.
Go for it! Hope you like my Aunty Rosaleen's recipe!
Thank you so very much Gemma for your
Aunty Rosaleen’s Traditional Christmas Cake. This is my 3rd year baking your Aunty’s Christmas Cake, my family just love the Christmas Cake💕 Thank you for sharing the recipe. 💝🎉 You’re the best
I'm happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing and for making my aunt's recipe a part of your Christmas spread!
This will be the first time i am going to bake a frut cake. So excited and definitely looking forward to baking this one. Will not be adding booze😊.
You can use orange juice in place of the alcohol. Shelf life will be shorter compared to one that includes alcohol. Go for it!
This recipe is very similar to that which is used in the caribbean. Except, we add "drowning" (sugar & water caramel) to make the cake brown. The color depends on your own taste Fruits normally include prunes and currants, as well. . Thanks for sharing. Love from Trinidad.
Sounds great! Thanks for sharing.
Browning
Watched your video and knew immediately that I had to try it. First time baking a Christmas cake and it’s now baking in my oven. It smells absolutely delicious! I can’t wait to try some, so Christmas can’t get here quick enough 😊. Thank you so much.
I'm happy to hear that! Go ahead and give this a try. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
This is an amazing recipe! It’s traditional. I love it. Thanks for making a video of it.
It’s a lot of baking time, but I understand why you do it. Wow!
I'm delighted to hear that. It's due to popular demand, that I finally made a video for this crowd pleaser! I hope you'll give it a go! Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
My dog ate the fruitcake! I live in North Carolina, and fruitcakes were always made by my family. My mother kept hers in tins and fed them over couple months...one time she had them out feeding them, went to answer the phone and our boxer dog ate one. The dog slept all afternoon and evening and mom called the vet. She was fine, but beware your fruitcake ;).
Lol! Your dog likes good cake!
Thank you, Gemma, for such a traditional old Irish recipe. I might try to make this this year, even though I've never baked a cake like this. Your recipe makes it look simple.
It is fairly easy to make. The challenge is to not eat it until it's Christmas! Happy baking!
Definitely making this!! 👍
Hope you enjoy it! Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
I modified this recipe slightly last year and it was wonderful! My mum hates candied peel so I had to leave that out. I just made up for it with extra fruit. I’ve never actually had a Christmas cake without icing though and it never even dawned on me to try it that way. I always do the marzipan and royal icing but both of them make me a little nervous as they include raw eggs. If I make a cake again this year I may just leave the icing off. Thanks for the inspiration.
Can't wait to hear how you get on with our recipe! Thank you for watching!
Oh I definitely want to bake this one as it is a light (colour) cake. I have been using a recipe from a previous Chef to the Queen and it takes 12 eggs, very rich and has Rum poured over. I do NOT like the usual fruitcake mix with citrus peels, so I add raisins (even sultanas) cherries and glazed fruit cut into smaller pieces. I also bake mine in a big breadpan that is permanently wrapped in a couple layers of brown paper for even baking. I like the loaf form as it's easier to slice and store. I will compare my recipe with yours, but I do want to try yours as well
Can't wait to hear how you get on with my aunt's recipe 😊 Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
This Aunty Rosaleen's Traditional Irish Cake recipe looks so delicious 😋 Gemma.
It really is! I hope you'll give it a go. Get the recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
In the oven now 😊 I'm in SAfrica but DNA 95% Irish 🍀 ☘️
Glad to have you here! Thanks a million.
Very nice recipie Gemma! They looks amazing! Where you get you amazing big bowl wen you use in these video? Have a nice day and good weekend! Have a good week! 👍👏🍴
Thanks, Dia. You can get Mason Cash bowl's from Amazon. Your local stores may also have them.
@@biggerbolderbaking Thanks Gemma! 🤩🤩🤩
My mother used to make similar cakes and wrap them in booze-soaked cheesecloth, which she "refreshed" several times until they came out from under her bed where she kept them hidden before the holidays.
Thanks for sharing, John. I hope you'll give my aunty's recipe a go.
@@biggerbolderbaking YES! I'm making the candied peel and cherries for your Aunty's cake using your recipes! I can't bring myself to by the embalmed, store-bought stuff.
Thank you for the recipe and detailed instructions.
My pleasure 😊 For tips and the full written recipe, find the information here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884
We must postpone Christmas, I haven't made your cake yet and it needs 3 months of whiskey feeding and maturing...
Another georgeous recipie, thank you 👍
Hi Gemma
Love your Xmas cake recipe, I put mixed fruit, peel and cherries in mine. I soak my fruit in sherry because i don't like the taste of whiskey. I use dark molasses sugar, some black treacle and instant coffee, it makes a very dark cake, i wrap it in cling film, put it in a airtight container and i feed it until the liquid starts coming out the bottom.
Carol
That sounds delicious, Carol. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing this awesome Christmas cake 🎂 recipe....
Looks delicious 😋 😍
Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦
Glad you like it! Can't wait to hear how you get on with our recipe!
I've been making stollen to share with friends or co-workers for a few years, and I currently have a batch of dried fruit that had been soaking in rum for about 9 months! Maybe I'll try this recipe for a slight change, with an alcohol-free alteration for my Muslim friends.
Go ahead and give it a go! I hope you'll like my Aunty Rosaleen's recipe!
Looks great. It's almost time to bake it.
It is the time for it! Go ahead and give it a go. Here's the recipe, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
@@biggerbolderbaking Thanks. I'll go see if I can find a bottle of O'Driscoll's in one of the local stores. Might as well use the proper ingredients if I can get them.
I love fruitcake and make it every couple of years. Instead of poking holes in the cake I always soak cheesecloth in the booze (I usually use brandy), wrap the cake in it and then wrap in wax paper and then foil wrap. Once the cheesecloth dries out I re-soak it and repeat until it no longer dries out because the cake has absorbed as much as it wants. I then freeze the cake and even months later that last cheesecloth soak is still damp.
Thank you for sharing this here. Much appreciated.
My gran was born in Cork and she made this for Christmas using Kilbeggan’s as we had cousins who worked a nearby grist mill. She made a non whiskey version for the kids using a simple syrup with vanilla and maple syrup for the feed. It’s much like my paternal grandma’s Kinder (Kids) bread. I’m in NY and I use Green Spot Single Pot Still as Kilbeggan’s can’t be had in US.Your families whiskey sounds interesting.
As is your family recipe! Thank you for sharing this here.
Hi Gemma… This recipe looks delicious 😋 Thank you for sharing❤!! Can I use this same recipe for Christmas cupcakes ??
Gemma, what is the latest you could make the cake and still have a good flavor? Would the first week or two of November work?
Yes, that would still work. It can actually be good even on the first week, it just gets better over time.
Wuld this recipe work in a long loaf pan.the ones that are like 13 inches long? If so how long do you think it would take to bake?
Yes, you can bake this in a long loaf pan. Baking time should be the same. If not, keep an eye on it, when it starts to separate around the edges and turns a golden brown color, then it's done. Do a cake test to be sure.
Looks super delicious 😋 is there any substitute for whisky.
You can use brandy or rum. If you are looking for a non-alcoholic liquid, then orange juice is an option. Hope this helps.
@@biggerbolderbaking Thank u dear, I'm a Muslim will try with orange juice.
This sounds really good! Could we keep the cake in an air tight container during the aging process just to make sure that no buggs get a chance?
Yes, absolutely. I hope you get on well with it!
Ooh very delicious
Thank you! I hope you'll try it!
My Aunt would make fruit cake for family and friends but she would always ask do you want spirits in it or not, she would feed it for a couple of weeks ❤
Thanks for sharing! Glad to have you here.
Keep up the good works
Thank you so much for the support.
Very nice ❤
wait months to taste it? I could not, I wants it now
You can eat it right away, but making it in advance is also an option. Hope this helps.
I always found your accent very cute and pleasant, but as an Italian I couldn't recognize from were it was. So it's Irish, nice!
Thanks for watching!
@@biggerbolderbaking thanks for your great recipes! :)
Fab. I was just thinking it’s time to bake one. What flour do you suggest for gluten free please. ( celiac)
Hi Sharon. To make it gluten-free, you can use gluten-free all-purpose blend flour for the best result. Hope this helps.
hi Gemma, I notice you give the celsius oven temps is that fan or not ?
The default oven for most recipes, this one included, is that of a standard oven - fan off. Also, if you check my recipes, units for temperature include both C and F, cups, grams and oz for ingredients. For best results, follow the recipe, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/ Hope this helps.
You have shifted to new kitchen 😍
We moved to a new place with more room for our little family. As I work from home, we also needed room for a test kitchen, and a bigger kitchen to shoot new videos - it is also where I cook meals for our family.
Yes, we moved to a new place. We needed more space now that we have Georgie. It's more spacious and we love it!
Can you use a bundt pan or does it have to flat?
Yes, you can bake this in a bundt pan. It will be lovely. Get the full recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
Hello from County Meath 😊 I've never made a Christmas cake, its something i say I'll do every year but don't get round to it, unfortunately i cant eat gluten any more (pretty sure i'm ceoliac but wont be tested for it) but i make puddings with mam (she makes maybe 15 + every year, my husband made her a big boiler for outside and can boil 6 or 7 at a time). Think I'll just have to try 1 this year but unfortunately won't get to taste it 😢
Hi. You can make a gluten free version of this by using a gluten free all purpose flour blend. It won't be exactly the same, but it will yield a result that is close to one made with flour. Hope this helps.
Can you not buy glutenfree flour to make Gemma auntie Christmas cake
Yummyyy 😋
we call it Allspice here. And glace cherries look like marachino cherries.
Looks absolutely delicious
Unfortunately I don’t drink alcohol
Can you substitute it with something else?
Yes, you can use orange juice. Shelf life will be shorter and you will need top store it in the fridge instead. Hope this helps.
@@biggerbolderbaking thank you so much Gemma
Even though we don’t celebrate Christmas
It’s good to know I can make this delicious cake
Lovely! Do the Irish not traditionally put marzipan and icing on their Christmas cake?
Some do. We sometimes cover it with marzipan, but as a matter of preference, we like this particular cake naked.
Hi Gemma can I use water instead of whiskey in this? And do I have to feed it and let it set for two or three months?
I would not recommend water as a substitute. You can use orange juice however. The alcohol preserves the cake, so without it, I would say consume within a week and store in the fridge in between.
@@biggerbolderbaking thank you
Hi Gemma, could you make a dairy free crescent roll recipe? I would love to see how to make them!
Hi. I haven't tried it, but you can try substituting ingredients; margarine for butter, and dairy free buttermilk for the yogurt. My homemade buttermilk substitute uses milk, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-buttermilk/ but you can try using dairy free milk instead.
Here's my recipe for crescent rolls, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-crescent-rolls/#wprm-recipe-container-39335
Thanks.
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Does anybody know what stand mixer she's using thank you
Hi Amanda. I use a 7-quart Wolf Gourmet High Performance Stand Mixer. I hope this helps.
Can I use brandy
Reminds me of Christmas fruit cake.
It is a Christmas fruit cake 😊
I just saw this recipe. Can I make and eat by the end of December 😢
Yes, absolutely.
Love this recipe. But I can't find the recipe for your cherries on your page.
Here you go, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/candied-cherries-glace/ Go for it!
I live in England. We also feed our cakes for weeks. Soak the fruit in brandy before adding to cake. Nothing new here.
Can we feed our cake with juice?
I don't recommend it. We feed our Christmas cake with alcohol to help preserve the cake as it ages. Juice will not do the same to your cake. Hope this helps.
Why are people not baking more of the CHRISTMAS cake❤❤
We hope to change that! Thanks for watching. I hope you'll give this a go.
@@biggerbolderbaking I plan to..most definitely 🇨🇦❤🇨🇦❤
Would you consider making a fruitcake and a yule log in a mug recipe?
I can look into it. The yule log might not be possible as you need to bake it as a thin sheet first before filling and rolling. As to the fruitcake, a variation of it might be possible if made as a mug cake, but I would expect it to be very different from the traditional fruitcake.
@@biggerbolderbaking ok that's fine 🙂
What's the difference between Christmas cake and Barm Brack?
A barmbrack www.biggerbolderbaking.com/traditional-irish-barmbrack/#wprm-recipe-container-29793 is not as rich as a Christmas cake www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/#wprm-recipe-container-18884 and is more of a bread than cake. Whiskey is used in a Christmas cake while tea is used in a barmbrack. Hope this helps.
Great recipe. I'd like to see a video on traditional Halloween foods in Ireland. Are there any besides Champ, Barm Brack, and Colcannon? Also, a video where you make Potato Farls and Boxty and explain how they are not the same thing. And a video where you make Champ and Colcannon and explain the diffences as well. Americans think of these as St. Patrick's Day foods and use the names interchangeably. It's annoying to me, and I'm American.
Thanks for the suggestion.I'll look into it.
Alas I can't make a traditional Christmas cake any more. Nobody likes it, but when I did I used to soak the dried fruit (raisins/currants/sultanas), nuts & diced cherries in a similar bowl to the footage) on the last Friday in Oct, till the following Monday. It's a holiday weekend here in Ireland the last Mon in Oct. On the Monday I would make the cake, but never "fed" it.😂. It was delicious. I can't eat dried fruit anymore.😢
I'm sorry to hear that, Ann. Dried fruit gives Christmas cakes that distinct flavor, that substitution will not be able to yield a similar result.
Fruit cake in America tends to be terrible, I am always looking, for a good recipe.
Hope you enjoy ours!
Hi Gem can you give me a substitute for the booze please
Hi Debbie. You can use orange juice in place of the alcohol. Hope this helps.
I didn't keep adding the alcohol, only what was in the cake, don't like too much alcohol in cakes
You can opt not to feed the cake. It will not be as moist but it can still turn out well.
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Why bake at such a low temperature and bake for so long a time? Why can't bake like a normal bake abt 180 °C for shorter time?
Because it would burn on the outside before cooking in the middle.
It's a dense cake, it will need more time to bake through before the outer part burns. Hope this helps.
NO BAKING POWDER ?🤔
That is correct. No baking powder was added to this recipe. Check out the full written recipe here, www.biggerbolderbaking.com/irish-christmas-cake/
Reminds me of fruit cake 😂
It is a fruitcake. We just call it Christmas cake back home as we usually make it for the holidays.
Sorry, google ads forced me away. I'm sure you'll do fine
I’ve never seen mixed peel that colour! Also the tin you used in my opinion was too wide & makes the cake look very flat
I can assure you the candied peel was good. It's homemade. As for the baking pan, we've always used a 10-inch round pan, the thickness of the cake is just right for when you feed it. But you can use a smaller one to make it a thicker cake.
What is the substitute of whisky ma'm. Because for muslim people its not halal and forbidden any alcohol.. From Pakistan 🇵🇰
You can use orange juice in place of the alcohol. I hope this helps.
Up the yellowbellys!
Looks like pudding not cake
I would not like this cake for a few reasons. First and foremost, I do not like the taste of whiskey, at all. Second, I do not like the spices including nutmeg and pumpkin spices (or similar). Almonds are a nut I'm not fond of except if they are encased in chocolate or on an Almond Mounds Bar! I might eat the candied cherries as they look a lot like maraschino cherries. Keeping the cake in the cupboard for several months turns me off. I understand what you say, but I've had food poisoning before and it's no fun. This cake reminds me of an American fruit cake as it is very much like it with many of the same ingredients. It is also soaked in some kind of alcohol, rum I think, but it is aged in the refrigerator. I don't eat it, either. Sure your fruitcake recipe may be different, but not significantly so.
Looks v flat
It leans towards being compact. It is not a thin cake, just one that's packed with fruits and spices. You can opt to use a deeper pan with a smaller circumference for a thicker cake.
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