Spiced German Christmas Cake (Weihnachtskuchen) with Brandy

A rich, dense, and flavorful German Christmas cake infused with dried fruits, nuts, warm spices, and a hint of brandy.

Prep Time

30 minutes

Total Time

90-105 minutes + soaking time

Calories

3685 kcal

Difficulty

Medium

Equipment

5 items

Cost

£1.15/serving

Season:

Meal Type:

Cuisine:

Mood:

Ingredients

Servings

500gMixed Dried Fruits(Raisins, currants, sultanas, candied peel)

£2.75

120mlBrandy(Plus extra for brushing)

£4.50

200gButter(Softened)

£1.80

150gBrown Sugar(Packed)

£0.70

3Eggs(Large)

£0.90

250gAll-Purpose Flour

£0.30

50gGround Almonds(Almond meal)

£1.20

2tspBaking Powder

£0.10

1tspGround Cinnamon

£0.15

0.5tspGround Cloves

£0.10

0.3tspGround Nutmeg(Freshly grated preferred)

£0.10

50gChopped Almonds(For decoration (optional))

£1.10

2tbspPowdered Sugar(For dusting (optional))

£0.15

Total Cost

£13.85

£1.15 per serving

Instructions

1.
At least 24 hours (and up to a week) before baking, soak the dried fruits in the brandy. Stir occasionally.
2.
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
3.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
5.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
6.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
7.
Fold in the brandy-soaked dried fruits (including any brandy that hasn't been absorbed) into the batter.
8.
Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan and spread evenly.
9.
Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too quickly, tent with foil.
10.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.
11.
Once cooled, brush the top of the cake with additional brandy (optional).
12.
Decorate with chopped almonds and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Buy ingredients on Loop

My Notes

Nutrition Information

Nutrition per serving (106g)

3685 kcal / 15428 kJ

Carbs

436g

168% of RDA

Fat

175g

250% of RDA

Protein

68g

136% of RDA

Detailed Breakdown

Fibre

48 g

160% of RDA

Sugar

290 g

322% of RDA

Sodium

375 mg

16% of RDA

Saturated Fat

108 g

540% of RDA

Chef's Tips

For a richer flavor, substitute some of the brandy with dark rum.

If you don't have ground almonds, you can use finely ground hazelnuts.

Store the cake in an airtight container for up to a week. The flavor will improve over time.

Wrapping the cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil after cooling will help it stay moist.

You can also add other spices like cardamom or allspice to customize the flavor.

Cooking Equipment

Oven

Mixing Bowls

9-inch Springform Pan

Saucepan

Whisk

Wine Pairings

No wine pairing suggestions available for this recipe.

Share this recipe

Loading recipe...

Chef's Tips

For a richer flavor, substitute some of the brandy with dark rum.

If you don't have ground almonds, you can use finely ground hazelnuts.

Store the cake in an airtight container for up to a week. The flavor will improve over time.

Wrapping the cake tightly in plastic wrap and foil after cooling will help it stay moist.

You can also add other spices like cardamom or allspice to customize the flavor.

Spiced German Christmas Cake (Weihnachtskuchen) with Brandy

Ingredients

Instructions