Irish Christmas Cake (Císte Nollag)

A rustic Christmas cake made the Irish way. Rich, aromatic fruits soaked in Irish whiskey, this cake is sure to bring some old-fashioned Gaelic good spirits to your Christmas afters.

Irish Christmas Cake shares similar themes with many classic Christmas cakes in the British Isles. The signature flavour, however, comes from Irish whiskey, which lends a more mellow, pleasant taste compared to the peaty, brazen notes of Scotch whiskey. The tame flavour of Irish whiskey works especially well with fruits and spice - amplifying them rather than bullying them. What’s more, this Irish Christmas cake has a blend of old-school spices that make is stand out from the British version. The only thing I recommend is that you make this cake at least 3 weeks before Christmas, as the cake requires adequate enough time to bask in Irish spirit. Every week, for 3 weeks, you will feed it a nip of Irish whiskey until you serve it on Christmas day. Finally, I do away with the old-fashioned, blousy fondant icing and marzipan coverings. I just don’t think they’re necessary nowadays. Overly sickly. Plus there’s something honest and rugged about serving this cake in its natural state; it’s unapologetically Irish. No bollocks. Let’s go!