How to feed a Christmas cake (2024)

There are a lot of benefits to feeding a fruitcake. It will help keep your cake moist (especially if you are storing it for a while) as well as give it extra flavour – and, if you're a little heavy-handed, it will also develop that characteristic boozy kick. If you intend to keep your fruitcake for a long time (like more than three months), freeze it either before or after feeding it.

Will this work for any fruitcake?

Traditional fruitcakes are dark, rich, packed with fruit, and high in sugar, and are often baked for several hours. They'll keep for a long time, so feeding helps maintain a soft texture.

Modern fruitcakes tend to be lighter in colour and texture, and are cooked for less time. These also keep for a shorter length of time, and the alcohol soaks into the cake in a different way. While you can feed either type of fruitcake, you'll want to keep an eye on how the alcohol is absorbed and stop when they’ve had enough. For example, if your cake leaves a damp patch on your work surface, stop feeding it for a couple of weeks.

How many times should you feed a cake?

The amount of times you feed you a fruitcake will depend on how strong you want the flavour to be. It’s possible to overfeed your cake, which will make it stodgy and wet. Our advice is to feed it once after it's initially baked, then no more than four times during the maturation period. Try a teaspoonful of whichever alcohol you've chosen before you begin feeding your cake to test its strength.

If you're planning a stunning sweet centrepiece for the big day, choose from our Christmas cake recipe collection.

What alcohol should you use?

Strong, flavourful spirits with a high ABV are ideal for feeding fruitcakes. You can use rum, brandy or whisky for spice, or if you like citrus flavours, try an orange liqueur. Cherry brandy and amaretto will also work well if you prefer these.

How to feed a Christmas cake

Poke holes in your just-cooked cake with a skewer and spoon over 2 tbsp alcohol until it has all soaked in. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin.
Peel off the baking parchment, then wrap well in a clean sheet of baking parchment followed by a sheet of foil or a wax wrap.
Feed the cake with 1-2 tbsp alcohol every fortnight until you ice it, re-wrapping it each time.

Don’t feed the cake for the final week to give the surface a chance to dry before icing.