Twelfth Night Cake

Nov 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Medium

A dark, brandy-soaked fruit cake with currants, raisins, peel and almonds, spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and mace and covered in snowy royal icing. A dried bean and a dried pea hidden in the batter crown whoever finds them king and queen of Twelfth Night. Makes 16 servings in about 15 hr.

Prep 45 min

Cook 135 min

Cooling 12 hr

Total 15 hr

Servings 16

Ingredients

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servings

7 oz (200 g)currants
1 cup (150 g)raisins
¾ cup (100 g)golden raisins
⅔ cup (75 g)candied mixed peel, finely chopped
⅓ cup (75 ml)brandy
¾ cup (175 g)unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (175 g)dark brown sugar
1 tbsp (20 g)black treacle, or molasses
4 (200 g)eggs, large, room temperature, beaten
1 ⅔ cups (200 g)all-purpose flour
¾ tsp (2 g)ground cinnamon, about 1 tsp
½ tsp (1 g)ground nutmeg, about 1/2 tsp
1 pinchground mace
1 pinchfine salt
7 tbsp (50 g)blanched almonds, chopped
1dried fava bean, whole, the king's token (not eaten, set aside when found)
1dried whole pea, the queen's token (not eaten, set aside when found)
3 tbsp (60 g)apricot jam, warmed and strained
2 (66 g)pasteurized egg whites, from a carton, about 60 ml
3 ¾ cups (450 g)powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp (5 ml)lemon juice

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Instructions

Soak the fruit: combine the currants, raisins, golden raisins and candied mixed peel in a bowl, pour over the brandy, cover and let stand at least 1 hour, stirring once.
Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease the cake pan and line the bottom and sides with a double layer of parchment that stands 2 inches (5 cm) above the rim.
Beat the unsalted butter, dark brown sugar and black treacle with a mixer until lighter and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition; add a spoonful of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.
Whisk the remaining all-purpose flour with the ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground mace and fine salt, and fold it in with a spatula. Fold in the soaked fruit with any brandy left in the bowl and the chopped blanched almonds.
Spoon half the batter into the pan, press the dried fava bean and the dried whole pea into it on opposite sides, then cover with the rest of the batter. Level the top and make a slight hollow in the center so it bakes flat.
Bake until dark golden, firm to the touch and a skewer pushed into the center comes out clean, 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes. If the top darkens too fast after the first hour, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.
Cool the cake completely in the pan on a rack, about 3 hours, then peel off the parchment.
Set the cake upside down on a board so the flat base becomes the top. Brush the top and sides with the warm apricot jam to seal in crumbs.
Make the royal icing: beat the pasteurized egg whites with half the powdered sugar until smooth, then beat in the remaining powdered sugar and the lemon juice until thick, glossy and holding soft peaks, about 5 minutes.
Spread the icing smoothly over the top and sides with a palette knife, or swirl it into peaks. Let it dry uncovered at cool room temperature until firm, at least 8 hours or overnight, before cutting. Tell guests about the bean and pea before serving; whoever finds them sets them aside, since they are tokens and not meant to be eaten.

Tips

Warn everyone that a bean and a pea are hidden in the cake, and leave them out if young children are eating it.
Keep the icing bowl covered with a damp towel while you work, because royal icing crusts quickly.
For a deeper flavor, wrap the plain cake and brush it with 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra brandy every few days for up to 2 weeks before icing.
The royal icing is not cooked, so make it with pasteurized egg whites (or meringue powder mixed with water). The hidden bean and pea are a choking hazard for young children.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make twelfth night cake?

Plan on 45 minutes of prep and 2 hours 15 minutes of cooking, plus 12 hours to rest. The recipe makes 16 servings.

How should I store twelfth night cake?

Keep the iced cake in an airtight tin at cool room temperature up to 2 weeks; the uniced, wrapped cake keeps 1 month or freezes up to 3 months.

Can I make twelfth night cake ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Twelfth cake was the centerpiece of English celebrations on January 5, the last night of Christmas; by the Georgian era it was a rich brandy fruit cake under hard white icing, with a bean and a pea baked inside to choose the night's king and queen. Serve it with spiced black tea.

Variations

Orange-zest version: add 1 tbsp (6 g) finely grated orange zest to the butter and sugar; bake time unchanged.
Brandy-free: soak the fruit in 75 ml (1/3 cup) strong black tea or orange juice instead of brandy; bake time unchanged.
Individual cakes: divide the batter among twelve 3-inch (7.5 cm) mini cake pans or a lined jumbo muffin pan, hide a bean and a pea in two of them, and bake 45 to 55 minutes.
Almond-paste layer: roll 400 g (14 oz) marzipan over the jam-brushed cake and let it dry 1 day before adding the royal icing, as Victorian bakers often did.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 16 servings this recipe makes.

436 Calories / serving

11.9g Fat

79.3g Carbs

4.9g Protein

61.5g Sugar

Whole recipe (16 servings): ~6976 cal · 190g fat · 1269g carbs · 78g protein · 984g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.