🇲🇹 Maltese Recipes

Traditional Mediterranean Cuisine

Christmas Fruit Cake (Dried Fruit, Almonds and Citrus)

A rich Christmas fruit cake with raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, almonds, and citrus. Soak the fruit overnight and bake gently in a lined tin.

Prep: 35 minutes (plus 12 hours soaking and cooling) Cook: 3 hours Servings: 16 slices
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Watercolour illustration of a plain round Christmas fruit cake with a cut slice showing dried fruit, cherries, peel and almonds.
This Christmas cake packs dried fruit, cherries, candied peel, and almonds into a rich, gently spiced crumb. Soak the fruit the night before, then allow a slow bake and a full cooling period before slicing. The cake can be served plain, without marzipan or icing.

Ingredients

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Measures: 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml. For local ingredient names and substitutions, see our guide to Maltese ingredients abroad.

Instructions

  1. Soak the fruit: Put the raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries, candied peel, orange zest, and lemon zest in a bowl. Stir in the brandy or orange juice, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, stirring once if convenient. Take the bowl out while preparing the tin and batter.
  2. Prepare the tin: Heat the oven to 150°C (fan 130°C). Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line its base and sides with two layers of baking paper. Let the side lining extend about 5cm above the rim, keeping it clear of the oven elements.
  3. Cream the butter and sugar: Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until lighter and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the measured flour if the mixture begins to split.
  4. Fold in the dry ingredients: Mix the remaining flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Fold into the butter mixture just until no dry flour remains.
  5. Add the fruit: Fold in the soaked fruit with any liquid left in the bowl and the chopped almonds. Spoon the thick mixture into the tin, press it gently into the edges, and level the top with a slight dip in the centre.
  6. Bake gently: Bake for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, checking from 2 hours 30 minutes. If the top colours too quickly, cover loosely with foil. The cake is ready when the centre feels firm and a skewer inserted into the cake crumb comes out without wet batter; try a second spot if you hit a piece of fruit. Continue in short intervals if needed.
  7. Cool before slicing: Leave the cake in its tin on a rack until completely cold, then remove the tin and lining. Wrap the cooled cake in fresh baking paper and place in an airtight container. Let it settle overnight for neater slices, then serve in small wedges.

Plan the Soak and the Bake

Start the fruit the evening before baking. The preparation time counts active work; it does not include the overnight soak, cooling, or resting before slicing. Bake on a day when the oven can stay at a low temperature for several hours.

Use a deep 20cm round tin. A wider or shallower tin changes the depth and baking time. Double lining helps protect the outside during the long bake, but it does not replace checking the centre for wet batter.

Brandy or Orange Juice?

Either works for soaking in this recipe. Choose orange juice when you want to omit alcohol; baking a brandy cake does not establish that all the alcohol has gone. There is no alcohol feeding or weeks-long maturation step in this method.

Use ground almonds as well as the chopped almonds: the first mixes into the crumb, while the second provides small nut pieces. The cake also contains eggs, butter, and wheat. Check the dried-fruit packets for any additional allergen information when shopping.

Getting a Clean Slice

  • Browning outside, wet in the middle: Cover the top loosely and keep baking gently. Raising the heat can darken the edges before the centre sets.
  • Fruit sinks: The batter should be thick enough to support the fruit. Measure the soaking liquid rather than adding an extra splash just before baking.
  • Crumb breaks when sliced: Cool completely and leave the wrapped cake overnight. Use a sharp knife and cut modest slices through the fruit.

Serving and Keeping

Serve plain with tea or Maltese coffee. A small wedge is enough after a full Christmas lunch; the Christmas food collection helps you plan the rest of the table.

For a short make-ahead, bake the day before serving and keep the fully cooled cake wrapped in an airtight container in a cool place. Freeze slices if preparing further ahead, wrapping them well and thawing before serving. This recipe does not give a long room-temperature storage schedule for either soaking option.

Fruit cake among Malta's festive bakes

Ta’ Saminu Bakery’s Christmas selection includes a traditional fruit Christmas cake alongside mince pies, a Maltese Christmas log, and treacle rings. It is one example of the mix of festive sweets available in Gozo.

The proportions and method above are this site’s home version. They do not reproduce the bakery’s cake or establish a single recipe used by every Maltese family.