The best Christmas cakes for 2026, from Waitrose, Aldi, Bettys and more, starting at £8.99

Score: 85/100

Bettys' beautifully iced Christmas cake impressed panellists with its delicate robin design, but it's what's inside that really counts. The Yorkshire bakery delivers a classic, beautifully executed fruit cake, packed with juicy fruit, warming spice and a hint of brandy.

Testers loved the moist, soft texture and well-balanced layers of marzipan and icing, with one declaring it 'exactly what you want' from a traditional Christmas cake.

Score: 83/100

Alternatively, save yourself a few pounds with this top-rated supermarket buy. The crowd-pleasing cake impressed with its well-balanced flavour, combining honeyed fruit, subtle spice and crunchy almonds. Generous layers of marzipan and icing add a creamy sweetness, while the moist, fruit-packed crumb makes for an indulgent slice.

Score: 81/100

Fancy a slice fit for royalty? Fiona Cairns, who created Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake in 2011, knows a thing or two about celebration cakes.

Testers enjoyed the warming cinnamon, clove and ginger, balanced by boozy fruit and subtle marzipan for a satisfyingly festive flavour. We loved the modern holly wreath design too, which is finished with a pretty red and white striped bow.

Available 2 November 2026

Score: 77/100

Morrisons' Christmas cake is a solid supermarket option if you don't have time to make your own. Dense and generously packed with fruit, it has a rich sweetness and plenty of warming festive spice. Testers found the icing a little chewy, but overall, this is a satisfyingly traditional cake with plenty of flavour.

Score: 77/100

Handmade in the Cotswolds, Daylesford's pretty, organic Christmas cake is a class act. Rich and generously spiced, it's packed with plump cherries, raisins and citrus peel, with a pronounced boozy warmth. Testers praised the moist, sticky texture and neat layers of marzipan and icing, with one saying it 'tastes homemade'.

Available TBC

Score: 75/100

Waitrose's Christmas cake is a real looker, crowned with whole sugar-glazed almonds and glacé cherries for a suitably festive, bejewelled finish. Beneath, the rich fruit cake is packed with raisins, currants and candied peel, with warming cinnamon, nutmeg and a welcome hint of brandy.

Testers described it as 'packed with all the right flavours', while the crunchy nuts and sticky cherries provide plenty of textural contrast.

Score: 74/100

If you're not a fan of a heavy Christmas cake, look no further. With restrained spice, juicy vine fruit and plenty of treacly sweetness, Co-op's well-balanced cake bar is a more subtle take on the traditional. And at just 400g, it's perfectly portioned for an intimate celebration (or if it's only Aunt Sally who indulges).

Available 28 October 2026

Score: 74/100

Fruit and nut fans, this one's for you. Tesco's moist fruit cake is generously packed with raisins and cherries, bringing plenty of brown-sugar sweetness, while a crunchy nut topping adds texture to every bite. At 630g, it's not too big and not too small – so there's less chance of it hanging around until February.

Score: 74/100

Beautifully iced with a festive Christmas tree design and presented in a keepsake tin, this cake is made for gifting (if you can bear to part with it). Moist and dense, with plenty of crunchy nuts throughout, it has a comforting aroma of festive spice and all the hallmarks of a hearty, traditional fruit cake.

Score: 74/100

Aldi's well-priced bake delivers dark brown-sugar sweetness and warming ginger, with plenty of juicy cherries running through the moist, sticky fruit cake. The thick icing is unapologetically sweet, but the marzipan holds its own with a welcome nutty note. We'll be serving ours alongside a good cuppa.

Available 15 November 2026