Whole English Christmas cake, round and brown, covered with three flat quarters of slightly translucent and supple orange jelly. The fourth quarter lies flat next to it; the window reveals small dice of candied fruit on the intact cake. No hard plate or slice of cake removed.
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Christmas cake with orange windows

A recipe by CakeChristmas / Updated on 30 October 2026.

Four sectors of orange jelly cover the top of the cake and withdraw to discover the candied fruits.

20 cm round cake covered with four sectors of jelly 18 cm / Butter paste topped with macerated fruits then slow cooking

12Indicative portions
45 minPreparation
1 hour 40 minutesBaking
16 hRest & Cooling
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Dessert in this mood

A firm jelly of 18 cm is cut into four quarters and placed on the cold cake; one raises a quarter with the spatula, without cutting the cake.

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Original quantity: 12 servings.

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Preparation

  1. Reserve 40 g of candied fruit for the top. Macerate the raisins and the remaining 110 g of candied fruit in the 150 ml orange juice paste for 2 hours. Line the round mold 20 cm, 7 cm high. Heat the oven to 150 °C.
  2. Cream butter and brown sugar. Stir the eggs one by one and then flour, almond, baking powder, cinnamon and zest.
  3. Add the fruit with the remaining juice, pour into the pan and smooth. Cook 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes; a skewer should come out without raw dough. Cover with baking paper if necessary.
  4. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Unmould then pack and wait one night before cutting.
  5. Rehydrate gelatine for 10 minutes in cold water. Heat the extra 150 ml of juice with the 20 g of sugar until it simmers, remove from the heat and then dissolve the dried gelatin. Pour into an 18 cm round mould lined with cling film, about 6 mm, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  6. Brush the cold cake with its 20 g of apricot jam and distribute the 40 g of reserved candied fruits, cut into small very fine dice. Unmould the jelly, remove the film and cut four equal sectors. Put them flat on the cake, without overdoing them.
  7. When serving, remove a jelly area with a wide spatula and lay it flat next to it: the jelly remains flexible and does not stand. Candied fruits appear on the cake intact.

Preserve and Serve

24 hours in the refrigerator once covered with jelly; leave 15 minutes before tasting.

Baking tips for this recipe

  • Preheat the oven according to the plug and prepare the mold before mixing the last ingredients.
  • Uses the dimensions and cooking mode indicated: a higher or wider mold changes the cooking of the center.
  • Follow the visual cues of step by step in addition to the duration. Respect the intended cooling before unmoulding or decorating.

Substitutions and variations

Blond or brown raisins can be used at the same weight; retains the soaking step when it is planned.

To vary a zest, choose another citrus fruit washed and intended for this use, keeping the same amount. Does not automatically replace juice, whose acidity can change the preparation.

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