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If you’re busy stocking up on all your Christmas foods, now is the time to figure out which festive dessert will take the crowning glory on your festive table. Mirror writer Niamh Kirk has been busy tasting Christmas cake from a range of supermarkets to find a winner
Christmas cake is a festive classic, but with so many choices on our supermarket shelves, it’s hard to know which one to spend your hard-earned money on.
A thick cake crammed with rich currants, glaced cherries and citrus peel all soaked in a generous glug of booze, with a thick coating of marzipan icing – what’s not to love?
While some brave home cooks love making their own, chefs recommend making your pud 5-6 weeks in advance to make the most of the rich flavours that develop overtime. If you’ve missed the boat, don’t panic as there’s plenty of ready-made delights to choose from.
I decided to take on the tricky job of deciphering which supermarket offers up the best Christmas cake. They all vary quite significantly in price, so I was on a mission to investigate whether luxury really is always best.
Comparing M&S, Tesco, Aldi and more, I put these seven big name desserts to the test – all washed down with a big cup of tea. I judged the icing to cake ratio, the quality of ingredients, balance of flavours and booziness. Points were lost for dry or greasy cakes.
This seriously dense cake is crammed with sweet currants and raisins, all soaked in booze to give it that festive feel. The icing is just thick enough but the cake itself is a bit greasy so one slice is plenty.
Rating: 4/5
Aldi’s specially selected cake is a real showstopper. The cake is rich with lashings of brandy and the fruit has a nice bite to it, but the booze is a little too strong and overpowering. The sweet marzipan and icing layers give it a true taste of Christmas.
Rating: 3/5
This one screams luxury with its black and gold packaging and the quality doesn’t stop there. The thick slab of icing is generous as well as a good layer of marzipan. The cake itself is rich and decadent without being sickly and the fruits are nice and chewy. Bonus points for just how moist and easy to slice this is too.
Rating: 5/5
While this cake looks impressive at first glance, the flavour is quite underwhelming. The icing is thick with a jolly motif on top but the cake itself lacks moisture which makes it difficult to cut. The strong kick of brandy helps with flavour and there’s decent chunks of currants in the cake. I wanted more from Lidl’s deluxe range.
Rating: 2/5
Despite the packaging not looking very ‘premium’ it definitely tastes it. This pud is bursting with festive fruits including cherries and zesty citrus peel but it’s quite sticky, tough to cut into and crumbles straight away. The boozy hit packs a punch but the flavours are still balanced.
Rating: 3/5
Again, the plastic packaging doesn’t make this cake stand out but the taste is a different story – it’s absolutely delicious. It’s absolutely packed with fruits including juicy cherries which really make it sing, with a slight hint of citrus too. The icing is thick with a good layer of marzipan. and it’s very easy to cut thanks to how moist the cake is, without being greasy. Keep in mind that it does have quite a strong ginger flavour.
Rating: 4/5
The verdict: Best Christmas cake of 2024
Waitrose was the clear winner here thanks to the perfect balance in flavours and icing to cake ratio. But it is expensive, so for those who don’t want to fork out that much on a Christmas cake, Tesco’s is a close second.
Some of the cakes are far boozier than others, but that’s just personal preference. Enjoy with a piping hot cup of tea or a prosecco in hand and you can’t go wrong.
Have you tried any? Let me know in the comments!
