This Christmas Spiced Chocolate Cake is full of delicious festive spices, filled with spiced caramel and topped with Kirsch Cream and Caramelised Nuts! Perfect for the holiday season.
We’re really on the final run to Christmas now, less than a week to go now! This amazing cake is day five of my Countdown til Christmas – where I’m posting a festive recipe every day up until Christmas day. The first of my Countdown til Christmas recipes, the spiced caramel, is the yummy filling in this cake! Day 2 was a Chocolate Peppermint Milkshake, Day 3 was Peppermint Puppy Chow and Day 4 was Mince Pies
This Christmas Spiced Chocolate Cake is kind of along the same vein as the mince pies in that I made it because I really don’t like traditional Christmas cake – you know, the dried fruit cake fed with brandy for weeks, don’t like it! Unlike my take on mince pies, this cake doesn’t take the same basic aspects of a Christmas cake it’s just what I want in a Christmas cake!
I start with my favourite Devil’s Food Cake recipe and make it a little more festive with spices and clementines. Then I filled it with yummy spiced caramel and topped it with Kirsch spiked whipped cream and caramelised walnuts. And I’m not going to lie to you, this is quite possibly the best cake I have ever made! I was really sad to send it off to work with my mum, but if I knew if I didn’t I would sit and eat the cake in one sitting! The cake is rich and chocolately with just enough Christmas spice to get anybody in the festive spirit, the caramel is smooth and warming and adds to that Christmassy feel, and the cream? The Kirsch spiked cream really is a must, that subtle cherry flavour combined with the festive chocolate is just to die for. And the Christmas goes all the way to the figuritive cherries on top, the walnuts are caramelised in sugar, clementine and cinnamon, so good! The actual cherries on top are just a nice little touch I think! It may not be what most people think of when they hear “Christmas Cake” but there’s no denying that this is one!
You really should bake this cake this holiday, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you’ll blow your friends and family out of the water! And it’s not a lot of work to make, even the caramel is super easy to make! And any effort put into it is so totally worth it! I make and eat a lot of cake, but it really is hard to top this one! Bake it now, thank me later 😉
I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas are almost ready to go, and there’s not too much last minute panicking! I’m all done with m Christmas shopping, I’m just waiting for a last few things to arrive, once they’re wrapped and under the tree all I have is a couple things to bake on Christmas eve and I’m done!
I’m going to be bringing this delicious Christmas cake along to Fiesta Friday this week too, because what’s a party without lots and lots of cake? Plus, the next time we all party together Christmas will be all over with! So why not come join the party just in time for Christmas, there’s bounds to be lots of festive fun and treats, especially with the amazing Jhuls and Indu co hosting for us this week!
Come hang out with me on social media, I’d love to keep up with y’all this holiday season! You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook
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- 225g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 375g caster sugar (super fine granulated sugar)
- 75g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 2 clementines, zest and juice
- 240ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 120ml vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- ~230ml freshly brewed hot strong coffee
- 300ml double cream (heavy cream), cold
- 3 tbsp Kirsch
- 50g walnuts
- 1 clementine, juice
- 15g butter
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 batch of spiced caramel, linked below
- Preheat oven to 350F/170C. Grease and line two 8″ cake pans
- Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, cornflour, baking powder, bicarb, salt, cinnamon, cloves and clementine zest and set aside
- Combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla using a stand mixer or hand mixer then gradually add the dry ingredients with the mixer on low. Add the clementine juice to a measuring jug and fill jug up to 240ml with the coffee. Add the coffee mix. You will have a very thin, water like batter – don’t worry, it’s supposed to be like that!
- Pour the batter evenly between the tins and bake for approx 25 -30mins or until your cake tester comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack and leave to cool completely before filling.
- Spread generous amounts of spiced caramel on one half of the cake and top with the other half
- For the nuts
- Put the clementine juice, butter, cinnamon and sugar into a non stick frying pan and melt together. Let it gently sizzle for about 60 seconds and then add the walnuts. Stir to coat the walnuts and gently cook, moving the nuts around occasionally to stop them sticking. They're done when all the liquid has disappeared and your nuts are shiny and coated in caramel. Set aside to cool.
- Add the double cream and Kirsch to your stand mixer bowl and whip until you just have stiff peaks. Spoon generously on top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the cooled walnuts on top of the cake and top with cherries if desired.
- If you don't have Kirsch (cherry flavour), you could also use Grand Marnier (orange flavour) or even Baileys.
- Store in the fridge, will keep for 2-3 days with cream. Without cream, will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days
Sharing with…
Fiesta Friday, Super Saturdays, Show Me Saturday, Scraptastic Saturday, Sweet and Savoury Sunday, Inspiration Monday, Bewitchin’ Projects, Motivation Monday, Frugal Crafty Home, Tea Time #2, Create It Thursday
