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Chocolate Guinness Christmas Cake

Robyn Salter

With Christmas fast approaching, we’re looking at our festive repertoire to spice up your Christmas feast. As “Stir it up Sunday” is only a couple of days away, we thought this dark and deeply rich Chocolate Guinness Christmas Cake recipe would be perfect to share. Packed full of fruit, chocolate and malty goodness, this isn’t an ordinary Christmas cake.

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Ingredients

  • 175g sultanas

  • 200g raisins

  • 150g dried cranberries

  • 175g chopped dates

  • 50g mixed peel

  • 440ml Guinness

  • 200g salted butter, softened

  • 200g dark muscovado sugar

  • 1 orange, zest finely grated

  • 2 tbsp malt extract or 1 tbsp Original Ovaltine

  • 3 large eggs

  • 175g plain flour

  • 1½ tsp baking powder

  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • ½ ground cloves

  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder

  • 50g ground almonds

  • ½ tsp fine sea salt

  • 60g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

Step 1

Put the sultanas, raisins, cranberries, dates and mixed peel in a large bowl, pour over the Guinness, then cover and leave to soak for at least 8 hrs or overnight.

Step 2

The following day, preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2. Line the base and sides of a deep 20 cm cake tin with baking paper.

Step 3

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, orange zest and malt extract with an electric whisk for 3-5 mins, until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa powder, Ovaltine (if using), ground almonds and salt. Tip the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and mix briefly with a wooden spoon, until smooth.

Step 5

Stir in the dried fruit and its soaking liquid, followed by the chocolate. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 2 hrs 20 mins, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin. When cool, remove from the tin; wrap well in baking paper-lined kitchen foil and store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Top Tips:

  • You can swap in whatever dried fruit you like. Dried cherries, currants and figs work well here too. Just be sure to keep the total weight of the fruit is the same.

  • You can also “feed” your Christmas cake with an Ovaltine, Guinness and espresso mix in the weeks leading up to Christmas to give it an extra flavour boost and keep it moist.

  • Plan ahead; this will freeze for up to 3 months.