Christmas cake is undeniably a staple at this time of year, much like Christmas pudding, whilst it’s traditional it’s very much one of those things that you either love or hate.

For some the idea of a stodgy fruit cake topped with marzipan is something they simply cannot fathom, but for others it simply wouldn’t be Christmas without it, Manchester Evening News reports.

Whichever team you are on, it’s always good to know you’ve got the best of the best in the cupboard, either for yourself or for your guests who do like it – chances are somebody will!

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But the question remains, what makes a good Christmas cake and where can you get the best? thankfully our colleagues over at Manchester Evening News tried them all out so you don’t have to.

They have taste-tested Christmas cake from all major supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Tesco and M&S to settle the debate. Below is the verdict.

It’s time to settle the debate for once and for all: what makes a good Christmas cake and which supermarket is selling the best of the best this year? Without further ado, let’s get into it.

We tried Christmas cakes from M&S, Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Morrisons - and one stood out from the crowd
We tried Christmas cakes from M&S, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Morrisons – and one stood out from the crowd
(Image: MEN)


Aldi

Specially Selected Rich Iced Fruit Cake

First up to the platter of judgement is Aldi’s Specially Selected Rich Iced Fruit Cake – and it’s infused with French Brandy for good measure.

My family upbringing has always taught me that if you’re going to have a Christmas cake, then you had better let it bathe in vats of some form of dark spirit on numerous occasions before you get to eating it. So, I’m already feeling this one going into it, but I am fully aware that not everyone needs or wants alcohol in their cake.

Alongside the brandy, Aldi’s cake has marzipan and soft white icing, and is loaded with fruits and nuts like cherries, raisins, almonds and orange peel. There’s also an edible decoration in the form of some stars and snowflakes.

First bite and the taste of the booze hits you hard – it’s not subtle. It has a rich and decadent taste to it but that eventually comes as a slight disadvantage as the sweetness quickly starts to become a bit too overpowering. The marzipan is laid on thick, which only adds to the sweetness of it all.

Overall, it’s got a nice moist texture and consistency to it but it’s just a little bit too sweet to really have much of – especially when you’re going to be eating plenty of other sweet and rich things. But I guess, Christmas cake is about being rich and sweet, isn’t it?

Looks: 4 / 5

Taste: 3 / 5

Price: £7.99

Weight: 907g

Overall rating: 3 / 5

Tesco

Top Iced Fruit Cake

Tesco’s Christmas cake divided opinion in my household during this taste test. Some liked the minimalistic design, which is essentially just a white cake with a cute ‘love from Santa’ tag on it, whilst others, like myself, thought it looked a bit too basic.

The fruit cake is made with vine fruits and glacé cherries, topped with marzipan, white icing and you can also eat that novelty Santa tag if you so wish. For those keeping tabs, this is one that also doesn’t contain alcohol.

The marzipan is rich and the taste of the cherry hits you almost right away. It’s got a little bit of a moist consistency but, honestly, it all just tastes a little bit too middle of the road to me.

All in all, it does the job but it’s not going to spark joy – like Marie Kondo would say. Perfectly serviceable but nothing magical.

Looks: 2 / 5

Taste: 2.5 / 5

Price: £6.50

Weight: 907g

Overall rating: 2.5 / 5

Price: £6.50

Asda

Top Iced Fruit Cake

Like Tesco’s version, ASDA has gone simplistic with its Top Iced Fruit Cake. Their version looks all white, bar a gold star at the top with faint white etchings depicting a Christmas tree. It sort of works and you can see what they’re trying to go for but, again, it’s nothing to stop you in your tracks.

Let’s just say that attempting to cut into Asda’s Christmas cake is good exercise for your hands. The icing is super thick, meaning you’re going to have to use a very good knife if you want to cut into more than just the surface.

But, tough icing aside, Asda’s cake has a decent taste to it that almost, kind of, tastes homemade – and not like it was batch made in a factory.

It’s got your usual vine fruits, like sultanas and raisins, alongside glace cherries and candied peel, plus marzipan and icing. There’s not as much marzipan here as some of the others in the test, and that’s actually not such a bad thing.

If it weren’t for that terribly thick icing, I’d recommend this to anyone who was looking for something that doesn’t cost too much and fills the role of a Christmas cake without the requirement of any bells and whistles. But that icing could probably double up as concrete in terms of its thickness.

Looks: 2 / 5

Taste: 3 / 5

Price: £6.50

Weight: 907g

Overall rating: 3 / 5

Sainsbury’s

Taste the Difference Iced Rich Fruit Cake Slices

The first thing that I need to point out here is that when it comes to Sainsbury’s offerings, I could only find Christmas cake slices on offer – and that’s after visiting multiple stores.

Maybe I was a bit too eager to get my taste test underway because I have seen the big cakes appear in stores since. But, having already done all the legwork by that point, what’s the difference between a full cake and a slice anyway…?

The all-butter fruit cake slices are made with dried vine fruits, glacé cherries, brandy and mixed nuts, and topped with your usual mix of marzipan and icing. They have a nice sweet and fruity taste to them that isn’t overpowering.

There’s a nice fruity combination here but it does feel like it’s missing a little something extra to really knock it out the park.

Looks: 3 / 5

Taste: 3 / 5

Price: £4 (for six)

Weight: 285g

Overall rating: 3 / 5

M&S

Top Iced Christmas Cake

Now, I’d go as far as to say that the M&S cake is the most aesthetically pleasing – as you would perhaps expect from M&S. It’s decorated with a pretty holly leaf on it, and there’s a nice printed design on the cake itself.

Another one without alcohol, this all-butter fruit cake is stuffed with those famous vine fruits, glacé cherries and topped with marzipan and soft icing.

Sadly, my excitement for tucking into this one all but evaporated once I cut into it. The cake itself was a crumbly mess, with the slice pretty much falling apart on the plate. The taste was also a bit too cloggy and dry for me.

The combination of fruit also tasted, dare I say, a little weird too. It appears to contain the same fruits as pretty much every other cake here but there is a slight addition of apricot jam and lemon peel here that might be what is sending my taste buds awry. I’m not fully convinced. It just doesn’t quite sit right with me in terms of taste, I’m afraid.

I’m all for a cake that is pleasing to the eye but we should all know by now that you can’t just rely on good looks to get you by – and that’s going to cost M&S some points here, I’m afraid.

Looks: 4 / 5

Taste: 2 / 5

Price: £8

Weight: 835g

Overall rating: 2 / 5

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Lidl

Deluxe Luxury All Over Iced Christmas Cake

Lidl’s Christmas cake looks really pretty – it’s got a rose gold-style snowflake spread all over the top that looks truly magical.

And that gold snowflake? Yep, it’s edible too. Covered in soft white icing, there’s plenty of marzipan, fruit and it’s then also infused with brandy. It’s certainly fruity – those glace cherries and vine fruits are definitely making themselves known, but it’s ultimately just a little bit too dry.

The icing, which is a little tougher than some of the other cakes but nowhere near ASDA’s, comes across as quite overpowering in terms of everything going on. It’s just a tad too sweet for me but it’s not half too bad. Just could do with being a little less dry. But I definitely wouldn’t turn a slice down on Christmas Day.

it’s infused with brandy and covered in marzipan, soft white icing with an edible decoration…

Looks: 4 / 5

Taste: 3 / 5

Price: £7.99

Weight: 907g

Overall rating: 3 / 5

Morrisons

The Best Iced Christmas Cake

I was half tempted to exclude this Christmas cake on the basis that it is described as being ‘the best’ and I felt it might be unfair to compare with the rest. But then I thought, well, Morrisons will have to fall on their sword if it’s not as brilliant as they promise.

Topped with white icing, it’s got a pretty red stencil-style design of a Christmas tree on top. Inside, the all-butter fruit cake includes vine fruits and orange zest, and has then been infused with cognac and matured for a rich flavour.

I’m sorry to say it, but I think they might have been right on their naming too. It’s deliciously rich, with a real taste of the alcohol and spices soaked up into the cake. The only downside really is the price tag. At £11, it’s the most expensive on the list and you could almost buy two of some of the others featured but, honestly, this is still my favourite and worth the price for a nice all-rounder cake.

It’s very soft and has a nice texture to it and it’s quite boozy. It might be too much for some people but, for me, this is as good as it gets when it comes to a Christmas cake. Just a shame it’s on the pricier side of things, but I guess that’s what happens when you have a refined palette like I do (I actually don’t).

Looks: 3 / 5

Taste: 4 / 5

Price: £11

Weight: 900g

Overall rating: 4 / 5

Conclusion

So, as you may have guessed, Morrisons’ ‘The Best’ cake is my top suggestion. It’s just got more of what I like in a Christmas cake – but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s going to be to everyone’s tastes. If you’re after an alcohol-free cake, my suggestion out of these would be ASDA or Sainsbury’s.

If I had to be a mean Grinch and suggest which one you shouldn’t get, I’m sadly going to have to give that to M&S. Looks can be deceiving and their £6.50 Christmas cake has proven to be a perfect example of that.


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