This year, as I've done the last few years, I've made the mincemeat for mince pies, the Christmas puddings and the Christmas cake. For the first time I also made some cherry brandy for a gift, which I started at the end of September and strained and bottled on the 23rd of December. Rather than waste the cherries my MiL used some of them in a trifle and one of my SsiL decided to eat one or two just because she liked them.
So, my questions are these:
- Do you think I can use homemade cherry brandy in my Christmas puddings instead of ordinary brandy?
- Do you think I can use the cherries from homemade cherry brandy in a Christmas cake instead of glace cherries?
- And finally, if I don't use the cherries in a Christmas cake do you think soaking the fruit in cherry brandy (instead of ordinary brandy) would be okay? How about feeding the cake with the cherry brandy instead of ordinary brandy?
Thinking ahead, obviously, because making the cherry brandy took a few months and I start my mincemeat/puddings/cake in September & October (since we're away for most of November).