When do you make Christmas Cake and Pudding

[shinybaubles]

I have never made them before as I always seem to run out of time, that will not happen this year, hopefully. But when do you start?

[AnneEyhtMeyer]

I made my cake about a week ago. I don't bother with a pudding as no one ever wants any.

[happyfrogger]

Today is the day! I always remember my mum made them in the pre Christmas half term tho.

[shinybaubles]

Really - this early - no wonder I'm never ready.
Can't stand either myself but have guests coming who will expect it. Guess I better get busy then, are all the Christmas mags out already, gosh I sound like I live on another planet.
Does anyone have a recipe they'ld like to recommend.

[IsaacCox]

I made a Christmas cake yesterday, one is in the oven as I type and I'll makethe other tomorrow (family request them, I can't stand them!) I don't make Christmas puddings. I made my mincemeat yesterday too (14 jars! Again for family)

[SugarHut]

I usually do it well by now. But have been here there and everywhere, so might try and get home to do it this weekend. It needs a good few weeks to be fed with Drambuie so asap really.

Christmas pud, Fortnum and Mason, you'll never look back...

[Methe]

I made mine a couple of weeks ago. One for me us and one to cut in to quarters and decorate for family.

I've never made a Christmas pudding, has anyone got a good recipe?

[Methe]

Delia for cake. It's the only way :)

[Iheartcrunchiebars]

Made mine last week, fed it today. It smells lush!

[shinybaubles]

Wow - and I thought I was getting ahead of the game thinking about it now.
And you say Delia...not one of my favorite cooks.

[ChippyMinton]

Made puds on Sunday, will find the recipe.
Not bothering with cake as I'm the only one that eats it.

I use this recipe, posted by Slubbers a while ago, so have just done my third batch. I use rum and leave out the nuts.

Slubberdegullion Sat 24-Nov-07 14:04:57

Right I'll do the full GH keeping one now (for you to copy and paste at your leisure)

800g luxury mixed dried fruit
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
Half a pint of Brandy, Contreau or Grand Marnier
3tbsp black treacle
1 large cooking apple, grated
50g each breadcrumbs and plain flour
1tbsp ground mixed spice
100g blanched almonds, chopped
2 large eggs, beaten
125g unsalted butter, well chilled.

1.
Put dried fruit, orange zest and juice, treacle and brandy (or whatever liqeur you are using) into a large mixing bowl.
Mix well. Cover. Leave to stand for 1-2 hours or overnight.

2.
Preheat oven to 180 (160 fan) Gas mark 4.
Grease a 1.8litre (3 and a half pint) pudding basin
or
Two 900ml (1 and a half pint) pudding basins.
Line the base with a circle of greaseproof paper.
Add apple, breadcrumbs, flour, spice, almonds and eggs to the soaked fruit.
Grate the butter over the mixture.
Stir with a wooden spoon until mixed.

3.
If you want to add coins or trinkets, sterilise in boiling water, and pop them in.
Spoon mixture into basin(s) and level the surface.
Cut our 2 squares of greasproof paper measuring 30.5cm (28cm if you are using the smaller basins).
Put one on top of the other and fold a pleat down the middle.
Position over the basin and tie securely under the rim with string - you might need some help with the tying.
(addit by slubber - you absolutely need help, that or a varied and energetic vocabulary of profanities).

4.
Stand the basin in a sturdy, deep sided roasting tin.
Pour in 1.7 litres of boiling water.
Cover the basin with a circle of foil, pressing it down around the rim.
Cover the whole tin witha large piece of foil and secure the edges.
Carefully transfer the whole thing to the oven and cook for 6 hours (or 3 hours 15min - 3 and a half hours for the 2 smaller puddings).
You don't need to top up the water.

5.
Remove basin from the tin and leave the pudding to cool.
Remove wrappings and turn the pudding onto a plate, keeping the greaseproof paper circle on the top.
Wrap in clingfilm and a double layer of foil.
Store in a cool, dry place.

1. To Reheat.

Put pudding back in basins.
Cook pudding in the oven, as before for 1 and a half hours
or
Put the basin on a heatproof saucer in a pan. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of basin, then cover and steam gently for 2 hours.
Reheat the smaller puddings for 1 hour 15mins - 1 and a half hours.

This recipe cannot be rehated in the microwave.

Ta daaaaaaaaaaaa
It's very nice. And the smell in your house tomorrow....it's a good smell.

[shinybaubles]

Thank you Chippy - do you store it in the fridge?

[Iheartcrunchiebars]

Delia is fab but halve the cooking time. 2 hours, maybe 2.15.

[ChippyMinton]

I haven't in the past - usually make two small ones and keep one for the follwing year, and it's been fine in the cupboard. But this time I have actually put them in the fridge because I find the kitchen gets a bit warm.

[Mummybookworm]

Christmas cakes are made. Puds will be done soon. Going to steam them in the slow cooker overnight this year. (Didn't have one last year). Delia's creole cake is the cake I have made and I always make her Christmas puddings. I don't put nuts in neither cake or puddings.

[SugarHut]

The Delia recipe gets very mixed reviews, I've always done the Waitrose cake recipe, but honestly, it's a bit shit. Tastes great, falls apart when you cut it. So I've been googling various other cake recipes. Delia seems to be one of those marmite things where people are swearing by it, or swearing at it, and I note a lot of these people are not novice cooks in any shape or form. Other well received suggestions seem to be Mary Berry, BBC Good Food recipe, or the GHK recipe, I've gone for one of the latter, printed it out somewhere....

[OwlBeThereForYou]

It all gets better the sooner you make them but it's not terrible if they don't have as long. I'll be making cakes in about 2-3 weeks once we're moved into new house, but I'm traditionalist on puddings and make them on stir up Sunday (24th November this year), if I could trust myself to wrap them properly and not loose them in a year I'd make one for the following year, it would be really matured then! But I've made them on stir up Sunday for the last 3 years and I've only had compliments

[OwlBeThereForYou]

Oh and it's always been Delia's pudding. Not done cake before tho and can't decide yet!

[patchworkchick]

Best Christmas pudding I've found is made a few days ahead, (24th for me) from Donna Hay. Delicious and light. Christmas cake i make at the end of November and feed it every few days with southern comfort. Peggie porschen's recipe has worked the best for me.

[shinybaubles]

See I am a pretty competent cook but never liked anything by Delia. Choices, choices - one thing's clear I will have to get a move on. Thank you for all the replies.

[SugarHut]

Oooh ooh, where do I find the Peggy Porschen recipe?

[WallyBantersYoniBox]

Another Delia Cake fan here - my fruit is steeping under a tea towel as we speak. Action stations tomorrow. This is my third year of Delia cake and practice does make perfect. I agree with the cooking time comment too - I halved the mixture into two smaller tins last year and cooked in less than half the time. Didn't use the brown paper but did use the baking paper layers. I soaked the fruit in far more booze than 3 tbl spoons too - more like 8 (hic).

I think there's a lot to feeding the cake regularly over Nov/Dec to keep it moist and delicious.

I will make the creole cake too this year.

I made her pud last year but wasn't that over joyed with it. I tried her Italian choc nut cake too and that was a disaster.

Her sausage rolls are bloody marvelous though!