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Home » Home Baking » Super Quick And Easy Last Minute Christmas Cake

Super Quick And Easy Last Minute Christmas Cake

Author: Karon Grieve Published : December 2012

Recipe
last minute christmas cake pin image
last minute quick Christmas cake pin image

If you haven’t had the fruit steeping for months or had that Christmas cake under wraps since October here is a last-minute Christmas cake recipe that will have you whipping up your own on Christmas cake in less than two hours and going nowhere near the shops!

last minute christmas cake

Today I’m making my paper snowballs on the BBC so as I have already shared that with you I thought I would bring you my last minute Christmas cake instead.

What is the secret to quick Christmas cake?

The secret to this emergency, last minute Christmas cake is one word – mincemeat!

Now I have used my Vegetarian Mincemeat (see post last week) to make this  Christmas cake.

But you could use any store-bought mincemeat if you don’t have any of this great stuff to hand.

Youo can also use my amazing Christmas Pudding Marmalade for this Christmas cake recipe.

What size of Christmas cake

Instead of making one normal-sized round cake I used 2 small loaf tins and made smaller Christmas cakes so I can keep one for myself and give the other as a prezzie next week.

stirring ingredients in biwl

Christmas cake

Most folks have made their Christmas cakes in November or October.

They are planners, people on the festive ball, ready with those prezzies bought and wrapped and the tree up on 1st December.

This last minute quick Christmas cake idea will be totally alien to them.

Sometimes life just gets in the way of our grand plans, especially at this time of year. And what if you’ve never dared to bake a Christmas cake before. They can be pretty daunting.

This last minute Christmas cake is super easy to make and I promise you the first-time baker will be able to tackle this quick and easy Christmas cake with no trouble at all!

finished cakes

Ingredients for Quick Christmas Cake

This easy Christmas cake recipe uses booze-filled mincemeat as it’s main component so the weeks of feeding cake with booze are cut out completely.

There is also extra dried apricots, cherries and sultanas for extra juiciness in your quick Christmas cake.

The other ingredients for this cake are your standard flour, butter, sugar and eggs. Oh, and some flaked almonds. But nothing fancy. Storecupboard basics really.

How to make an emergency Christmas cake

My quick Christmas cake (or in my case 2 small loaf shaped cakes) is simplicity itself.

Really just a case of tossing all the ingredients into a bowl, mixing well then spooning into prepared tins and letting the oven take care of the rest.

Don’t you just love an easy recipe? This quick Christmas cake recipe really hits the spot on that one.

How quickly can you make this Christmas cake?

From start to finish I made these last minute Christmas cakes in less than two hours.

Decorating your Christmas cake

Well you can do that just as soon as the cake has cooled. Simply use ready rolled fondant icing and marzipan and you are good to go.

I used a star cookie cutter for the decorations on one cake plus some silver edible balls. For the other last minute Christmas cake I used a store bought holly and berries edible cake decoration.

I told you this was a quick and easy Christmas cake. A real last minute Christmas cake that will save the day in an emergency cake situation!

finished cake

How long will this cake last

This last minute Christmas cake will keep for up to a month if well wrapped in an airtight box.

You can of course freeze it for up to 3 months. But remember to do that before you ice your emergency last minute Christmas cake.

Merry Christmas!

larder links

Looking for more festive recipes? Then check these out before you go;

Gluten free Christmas cookies

Kourabiethes (Greek Christmas cookies)

So Easy Christmas cake

The perfect mince pies (plus great filling ideas)

Christmas spiced olives

Figgy pudding fruit paste for cheeseboard

Traditional gingerbread men

Vegetarian sugar free mincemeat recipe

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
last minute christmas cake

Last Minute Christmas Cake

Karon Grieve
Super easy quick Christmas cake recipe using mincemeat instead of dried fruit
5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins
Course baking
Cuisine British
Servings 16 servings
Calories 302 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 150 g unsalted butter
  • 200 g dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 225 g self raising flour
  • 400 g Vegetarian Mincemeat
  • 60 g sultanas
  • 60 g dried apricots chopped small
  • 60 g glace cherries chopped
  • 60 g chopped almonds
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3
  • Either grease a 20cm round tin and line with baking paper, or grease and line 2 small loaf pans as I did
  • Throw all ingredients into a large bowl and stir them all together until they are thoroughly mixed.
  • Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin/s and smooth out the top.
  • Bake a single cake for approx 1 1/2 hours and smaller cakes for just over 1 hour. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre. It should come out clean and the cake/s should have shrunk away from edges of tin/s just a little.
  • Leave to cool before removing for tin/s and then ice as you wish.

Notes

I used 2 small loaf tins to get 2 small Christmas cakes from this recipe.
The mincemeat I used was my own vegan mincemeat, you can of course use any Christmas mincemeat for this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 153mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 399IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

 

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Christmas, Home Baking

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Comments

  1. Paivi says

    December 22, 2012 at 8:44 am

    That’s a good idea to make four small ones instead of one big cake.
    Mincemeat really gets us foreigners confused, thank you for the explanation in one of the earlier postings/comment sections.
    It’s been VERY COLD up here lately, about -30C. We’re all wearing our quilted jackets and trousers and fur hats outdoors, no long walks but rushing to the car and hoping the engine will start. Santa’s living nearby and i really hope his reindeer won’t go into strike and demand for better working conditions.

    Happy weekend,

    Paivi xx

    Reply
  2. Nan says

    December 24, 2012 at 5:39 am

    Merry Christmas Karon!! I hope it’s a happy one – with lots of laughter/presents/fun!! I’m sending you wishes for joy and peace and happiness…it’s the best I can do!! You have given me so many great moments this past year – thank you for all of them!! Love, Nan

    Reply
  3. Susan says

    December 5, 2020 at 11:12 pm

    Hi Karon, do you think I could make this in ordinary size loaf tins, maybe two of them? I wasn’t sure what size you have used. Or, have you ever used tin cans as cake tins??? Thanks in advance, Susan

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 6, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      Hi Susan
      Yes normal sized loaf tins are fine. Not tried tin cans for cakes, must get on to that one!
      K

      Reply
  4. Elaine Radu says

    November 17, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    5 stars
    Hello Karon:
    My favourite novel for a regular tasty read is “Larder Love”. The most amazing recipes and delicious photographs to be sure; especially the Greek recioes… This year, I have been somewhat hampered by health constraints, so did not start Christmas cakes in October.
    However, Larder Love to the rescue with “Last Minute” Christmas Cake”…… Just one question, Karon please. Can I add a bit of rum to the mix?
    Maybe two questions… Is it OK to feed the cake(s)at least one time before the final wrap?
    Thanks for your attention Karon…

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      November 18, 2021 at 9:20 am

      Hi Elaine
      Yes of course you can add some rum to the mix and yes you can feed it a little extra too. Glad you like my blog so much.
      K

      Reply
  5. Jacqui Pendleton says

    December 2, 2021 at 6:05 pm

    I am just about to try this recipe, I only have 2Ib loaf tins, is this ok.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 3, 2021 at 9:19 am

      Hi Jacqui
      Yes it will just take a bit longer to bake as one cake
      K

      Reply
  6. Elaine Radu says

    December 23, 2021 at 3:38 pm

    5 stars
    Sensational recipe….Tropical Fruit and nuts I used: Lots of chopping for two loaves. Some fruit had to be soaked in Rum and other Tipple because they were a tad dry. Rum and Tipple took care of the flavour; papaya; mango; pineapple; candied ginger; black dates; cherries; pieces of roasted walnut, pecans, sliced almonds, and tiny pine nuts. Some used for filling, the rest for cake-top decorating. When baked and cooled, I needed to taste for quality control; then again, and again. After 2 days of quality check, wrapped the second loaf for gifting before it, too, disappeared… Thank you again, Karon. Merry Christmas….

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 31, 2021 at 8:16 am

      Hi Elaine
      The tropical fruit sounds super and totally agree on the taste testing! Happy New Year!
      K

      Reply
  7. Caroline says

    December 27, 2024 at 12:28 am

    5 stars
    I hadn’t made a Christmas cake in years as I don’t really have the space to store one made in advance. But this year, fed up of the overpriced lacklustre cakes sold in the supermarkets I thought I’d give this recipe a go. I used a good quality bought mincemeat and my cake has turned out great. This will be my go to recipe in the future.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 29, 2024 at 9:57 am

      Hi Caroline
      So glad the cake was a success for you and that you enjoyed it so much.
      K

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. coping with christmas over 100 hints and tips for festive feel goodLarder Love says:
    January 10, 2014 at 3:03 pm

    […] Last minute Christmas cake from Larder Love […]

    Reply
5 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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