Put your air fryer to great use this winter and bake your Christmas cake in it - it’s much quicker than the oven and cooks just as well.
Traditionally, like most, I have baked my Christmas cakes in conventional electric or fan ovens. Since getting one of the best air fryers I've used it to make many smaller sweet treats, but could it really handle an entire Christmas cake? The answer simply is yes. Not only did it take half the time of the original oven recipe I've used in the past, it cooked just as well and tasted just as good.
An air fryer is essentially a mini oven that circulates air around food to cook it quickly and efficiently. It’s much speedier than a conventional oven and costs less to run. Don't miss our articles on 'What I wish I'd known before buying an air fryer' and of course check our best air fryer deals before investing in one.
How to bake Christmas cake in an air fryer
Preparing your Christmas cake ahead of time is a great way to ensure this festive favourite has plenty of flavour. Topping it up with sherry, brandy, tea, or juice every couple of weeks will guarantee your cake is super moist and flavoursome when the holidays begin.
First, you need to make your Christmas cake mixture and decide on a recipe to suit. For this test, I made my favourite easy Christmas cake recipe, which I’ve made for the past few years. I highly recommend this cake for anyone looking for a quick prep recipe with just a few ingredients.
Before you get started you will need an air fryer that is big enough to hold an 18cm/7" round cake tin and the tin itself. For the air fryer, I used my trusty Breville Halo VDF126 5.5L air fryer and for the cake tin, I used a Lakeland Round Loose Based PushPan Cake Tin.
The cake tin needs to be suitable for air fryer use and must fit comfortably into your machine with a gap around the edges for airflow. Make sure you line the cake tin with baking parchment or grease the tin (depending on whether it's non-stick or not) before adding the cake mixture.
Ingredients
To make an 18cm/7" Christmas cake, you will need:
- 3 large eggs
- 300g (10oz) plain flour
- 250g (8oz) butter, softened
- 250g (8oz) light muscovado sugar
- 1 tbsp ground mixed spice
- Pinch of salt
- 410g jar of mincemeat
- 500g (1lb) dried mixed fruit
- 4 tbsp brandy/sherry/cooled tea/orange juice
- 18cm/7" round cake tin lined with baking parchment
- And an air fryer of course!
Method
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients; eggs, plain flour, butter, light muscovado sugar, ground mixed spice, salt, mincemeat, and dried mixed fruit, and mix until combined. Using a stand mixer will be the easiest way to do this, or you can mix it by hand. Leave the brandy/sherry/cooled tea/orange juice out.
Step 2
Once the cake mixture is smooth and thoroughly mixed, transfer it to your cake tin and press the mixture into the tin, smoothing the top so it's level. Put the cake in the air fryer drawer, and bake for 30 minutes at 160°C.
Step 3
After 30 minutes, carefully add some tin foil to the top of your cake. This will stop it from browning any further on top and will help the cake to cook evenly inside too.
Ensure the tin foil is pinched around the edges so it's 'attached' to your cake tin otherwise the fan will move the tinfoil around the machine uncovering the cake. Bake for another 1 hour and 20 minutes (1 hour and 50 minutes total).
Step 4
After 1 hour and 20 minutes, poke the centre of the cake with a skewer to see if it's cooked all the way through. If the skewer comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, pop back into the air fryer and cook for another 10 minutes, check again, and repeat. You shouldn't need to cook your cake any longer than 2 hours.
Step 5
Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin before carefully removing. Once fully cooled, wrap in a layer of baking parchment or greaseproof paper and a layer of tin foil and store in a cake tin or air-tight container.
'Feed' fortnightly with brandy, sherry, cooled tea, orange juice, or liquid of your choice in the run-up to Christmas to ensure your cake is moist and full of flavour come Christmas time.
Top tips for baking a Christmas cake in an air fryer
Go small
The smaller the cake, the more success you’ll have in cooking it as they tend to cook quicker and more evenly than large cakes. Always make sure you leave plenty of space around the cake tin and the air fryer basket for airflow.
Low and slow
You ideally want to cook the cake from the inside out so start on low heat for a longer period of time. This should stop browning on the top of the cake, however, if this does occur, you can cover the cake loosely with a sheet of tin foil. This will stop it from burning but allow it to continue to cook.
Go for dry cakes over wet
A pound cake would be a much more successful cake to bake in an air fryer than a banana cake, for example, as banana cakes are overly moist and have a lot of liquid in them from the fresh fruit, etc. A pound cake, or classic Victoria sponge, or simple chocolate cake may bode well as they have a good ratio of dried ingredients to wet e.g. flour and caster sugar vs. butter and egg. The wetter the cake mixture, the longer it’ll take to cook.
Select the right cake tin
Choosing the right cake tin is the first step in making a Christmas cake in an air fryer - in fact, any cake in an air fryer. You don’t want to jump ahead and go for a large cake tin when firstly it doesn’t fit in the machine or it does, but it's going to take forever to cook.
Keep in mind that if you have a square air fryer drawer, it may be better to use a square tin for your cake. If you have a round air fryer you can probably use a classic round tin. If you have a rectangular air fryer you can opt for a rectangular tray bake-style pan.
Make sure the cake tin fits and that air can circulate around it in the machine. I've used an 18cm/7" round cake tin for this recipe. However, you may need to go smaller for different machines, and reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Use preset functions
Your machine may have a preset function for baking, which is automatically set to an 'optimum' temperature. If you're unsure about trusting this, start with baking something smaller to test out your machine - a batch of cupcakes, for example. That way you can ensure that the preset function is the right choice for you. You can manually override most air fryer preset functions to match specific recipe, if you prefer.
Air fryer baking FAQs
Can an air fryer be used for baking cakes?
Yes, an air fryer can be used to bake cakes - and successfully too. However, you do need to make sure that you use your machine correctly otherwise you can end up with a brown outside and an underbaked inside.
Use the instruction manual, especially if it tells you the best preset or manual setting for cakes, and refer to each individual recipe too, and stick with basic recipes when you’re first starting out so you can get a feel for your air fryer.
How long does it take to bake a cake in an air fryer on average?
On average it takes around 30-40 minutes to bake a cake in an air fryer. However, this will depend on the size of the cake, the size of the air fryer, and if you’re using preset functions or manually setting the machine. It’s best to follow the instructions on the individual recipe and consult the air fryer manual or guide in regards to timings.
When converting a recipe from oven cooking to air fryer cooking, the general rule is to reduce the temperature by 20-30ºC and cook for 20% less time.
Can you put a cake pan in an air fryer?
Yes, you can put a cake pan in an air fryer as long as it fits and has enough room around the edges and on the top for the airflow. Ovenproof dishes and oven-safe silicone moulds are good choices when it comes to baking a cake. However, it is best to consult the user manual or guide for the air fryer you’re using before putting it in the machine. It’s best to try out your cake pan before you start making the cake in case it doesn’t fit your air fryer model.
How long before Christmas should I make my Christmas cake?
The ideal time to make a Christmas cake is around two to three months before Christmas Day. This gives the cake plenty of time to mature in flavour, especially if you plan to feed it with sherry or brandy for extra. It will ensure that the cake stays super moist and has plenty of depth in flavour come serving time.
However, don’t despair if you’ve only got around to rustling up your Christmas cake a week or so before the big day. The cake may not have rich flavours or be heavy on the booze but it will still be a wonderful fruit cake you can share with friends and family.
How do you feed a Christmas cake and how often?
You feed a Christmas cake with 1-2 tablespoons of liquid of your choice; be it brandy, sherry, or fruit juice, every two weeks in the run-up to Christmas.
To feed the cake, simply uncover the top of the cake (leave the sides wrapped to stop it from drying out) and poke the cake surface several times with a skewer. Spoon over the liquid making sure the whole cake is evenly covered.
If you like your Christmas cake to be extra boozy, you could go for 3-4 tablespoons at each feeding instead but don't overdo it otherwise your cake will be super soggy come serving time.
Cover the cake back over and set a reminder on your phone or write on your calendar to feed again in two weeks' time.
Best air fryers
Our full buying guide to the best air fryers as tried and tested by our expert reviewers gives you an in-depth run through the models we'd recommend. But for now, here's the quick list of our top 6.
Best overall
Air fryers don't get better than this. The Ninja cooked our chips in record time (with no pre-heating) and made the perfect crispy bacon. Having two drawers makes this super versatile, since these can work independently or in sync. It might be more expensive than some, but I still think it's great value.
Best for families
This can work as one mini oven or as a dual-drawer air fryer. All you have to do is slide the divider in and out of place. Each half of the oven can air fry independently to the other and you get to choose between deep baskets as well as solid and mesh trays. It covers every function and every possible option.
Best for couples
This is one of the cheapest models in Ninja's offering, but you don't have to make any compromises on quality. It's powerful, versatile, and convenient. I'd recommend it for couples because you can easily fit food for two into the basket, or four at a stretch when you're hosting.
Best under £100
For its price, you simply won't find a better quality air fryer than this one. It's one of the classic models and the evidence speaks for itself. I cooked perfect chips, grilled vegetables, and even squeezed a small roast chicken in the drawer. It's brilliant.
Best for small kitchens (or one person)
Compact, cheap, and easy to use, the 3.8-litre Cosori is almost unbelievably good. It is available in a range of colours, making your air fryer more of a design piece than anything else on the market. The app is one of the best that I've ever tested: it's a must-have for beginners.
Most versatile
This is bigger and bulkier than the others, but it boasts an incredible 15 functions. When I say that you can make yoghurt in an air fryer, this is the one that'll do it (alongside pressure cooking, slow cooking, steaming, dehydrating, and a whole lot more).
