If you have not had the an opportunity to get your baking executed within the run-up to Christmas, there’s nonetheless time to make this scrumptious air fryer Christmas cake recipe. Sure, you learn that proper: you can make Christmas cake in one of many best air fryers.
We’re huge followers of air frying, as it will possibly lower normal cooking instances in half, limiting the necessity to warmth your complete oven each time you wish to prepare dinner or bake. A preferred method to bake a Christmas cake in a traditional oven is for as much as three hours at 300F / 150C, however utilizing a air fyer can lower that all the way down to round an hour and a half.
Air fryers have variable temperature and timing controls. and a few even have devoted ‘bake’ settings that make getting ready candy treats even less complicated.
We have discovered numerous Christmas cake recipes on-line, with many YouTubers (opens in new tab) sharing their recipies. So, feeling festively impressed, we gave it a go ourselves.
Air fryer offers
If you wish to make Christmas cake in time for the weekend festivities then you are going to have to pay money for an air fryer in case you do not have already got one. The choices beneath have been all in inventory after we final checked, however you will want to put your order throughout the subsequent day or two.
Air fryer Christmas cake recipe
We based mostly our recipe on Carr’s Flour classic Christmas cake recipe (opens in new tab), adjusting the cooking time to go well with our air fryer. We used the Ninja Foodi Max Health Grill Air Fryer (opens in new tab), which properly housed a 8-inch spherical deep cake tin.
The Ninja Foodi Max Well being Grill Air Fryer is barely totally different out of your normal air fryer, because it has a lid that you just raise off to disclose the baking space. If you happen to’re utilizing an air fryer with a drawer that you just pull out, it is a good suggestion to test that your baking tin suits inside neatly earlier than you begin the recipe.
Prime tip: a superb variable temperature management is available in helpful when cooking quite a lot of candy and savory meals in an air fryer. Some designs have particular baking settings that make the entire course of even simpler.
Air fryer Christmas cake recipe elements
Here is what you will want to make use of out of your retailer cabinet when making this air fryer Christmas cake recipe:
- 1kg / 35oz of blended dried fruit (currants, sultanas, raisins, cherries, figs, candied peel, cranberries, dates)
- 225g / 7.9oz plain flour
- 225g / 7.9oz butter
- 225g / 7.9oz gentle brown sugar
- 4 massive eggs
- 1 tsp blended spice
- ¼ tsp recent floor nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp brandy
- 1 dessert spoon black treacle
- Zest of two lemons
Air fryer Christmas cake recipe technique
We discovered it comparatively straightforward to make a Christmas cake in an air fryer, because it was a easy matter of blending the elements, pouring the combo right into a baking tin and baking.
Step 1. Whisk the butter and sugar in a separate bowl till mild and fluffy. Beat the eggs and add slowly to the butter and sugar.
Step 2. Fold within the flour and spices to the egg combine, then fold within the fruit plus the lemon peel and treacle.
Step 3: Pour the combination right into a parchment paper-lined 8-inch spherical cake tin.
Word: ensure you use a cake tin which inserts inside your air fryer basket.
Step 4: Place the combination within the tin within the air fryer for 1 hour half-hour at 270F / 130C
Step 5: Go away to chill then embellish
Our cake got here out a bit of lighter in coloration than a typical Christmas cake, however this may be adjusted by including a bit of additional molasses. It’s possible you’ll wish to add a couple of extra glace cherries to present the cake a bit of extra chew and texture.
Air fryer Christmas cake recipe verdict
We have been impressed at how evenly our Christmas cake baked. In hindsight, we in all probability ought to have added a bit of extra molasses to this recipe to make the colour of the cake deepen, because it got here out wanting moderately mild.
However general, it got here out with an exterior that was engaging in coloration and had a superb crunch after we bit into it. Inside, it had the wealthy density you’d count on from an oven-baked Christmas cake, however felt moist and spongey on the similar time.
The 8-inch tin we used fitted neatly within the Ninja air fryer, however there wasn’t a lot room above it. As we made a dense Christmas cake this wasn’t an excessive amount of of an issue, however this restriction in air fryer peak is one thing to remember in case you plan to make a conventional sponge that may rise when baked.
With Christmas simply across the nook, there isn’t a lot time to feed your cake with brandy to maintain it moist. We soaked the blended fruit in brandy the night time earlier than making the cake for added moisture.
To retailer the cake, it’s a good suggestion to wrap it in a double layer of baking parchment after which in foil in order that the fruits don’t react with the metals within the foil. To complete off our cake we added a layer of marzipan, royal icing and some conventional Christmas cake decorations.
Whereas we have but to discover a respectable air fryer Christmas cake recipe on Instagram or TikTok, we did stumble throughout a spread of Christmas cake recipes to check out within the sluggish cooker. This slow cooker recipe (opens in new tab), for instance, makes use of simply 4 elements, however it would take as much as eight hours to prepare dinner. If you happen to’re eager to strive it out, you need to use one of many best instant pot and sluggish cookers from our round-up.
