Christmas cake - what a drama!

[maggiethecat]

Every year I tell myself it's the last that I'm doing cake and what did I end up doing today?
After spending too long lining tins with a million layers of parchment paper, doing breadcrumbs, doing mixture I've finally put 3 tins in the oven. Have still managed to have batter left over. Cakes won't finish until about 12.30am.

Can I use leftover batter in the morning to make another cake? Or is this a waste of time and energy? [lots of goodness in these cakes - fruit soaked in rum and port!] Won't bother though if a mixture left for too long is going to be rubbish. What do you think?

[bobs]

Depends on your recipe - ie self raising flour will be plain flour tomorrow. Breadcrumbs sound a bit odd and I'd have soaked the fruit in rum and drunk the port
If you've already made the mix, of course give it a go. You could even turn down the oven after taking the others out, cover the tin with foil/greaseproof and leave in all night.
Btw you can always wrap newspaper round the outside of the tin tied with string instead of wasting loads of greaseproof!

[Bunbaker]

I have never come across a Christmas cake recipe that includes breadcrumbs either. bobs is right about the self raising flour. Once liquid has been added to it the raising agent is activated. If the mixture is left for too long before it is cooked it won't rise.

[maggiethecat]

Breadcrumbs add a bit of bite. It's a great cake - Jamaican recipe - calls for overproof rum and port. I think I should have drunk them both!

Overnight sounds like a good idea - I'm baking the others at 120C (fan). What temp do you reckon for overnight?

[maggiethecat]

Is there any way of adding baking powder just before baking tomorrow?

[bobs]

If you used SR flour originally, then yes you could add some BP - don't ask me how much as my catering days are long over! Something like a level tsp per 8oz flour and mix in really well jusat before baking??? 120C is already pretty low - don't think I've ever baked a cake at that or lower. However my cakes never really rise 'cos there's so much fruit/nuts etc in them all weighed down by being soaked in rum for a couple of days for max absorption - hic!
Just take a guess and if it is slightly dry, add more rum (or oj if for kids as rum added after cooking will retain it's alcohol!)

[maggiethecat]

I'm up for a bit of experimenting Not that I should be since dd has chicken pox and I'm shattered.

Did not use SR flour - used plain plus BP.

I know what you mean about cakes not rising - I use loads of fruit (incl some soaked fruit leftover from last xmas). Having said that, just checked the ones in the oven and I can see some rise - tins were bit more than 3/4 full of batter and after 1.5 hrs the one at the front is now level with top. [Despite checking the expiry date on the BP after adding BP and realising that expiry was dec 09
What drama!

Used 120c this year bcos last year cakes were a bit burnt at 130.

Think I might have a go at baking tomorrow and whipping up a bit more batter since I have leftover fruit as well and that way I could stick 2 cakes in.

[bobs]

1 million calories and counting....let me know tomorrow how they turn out

[maggiethecat]

Funny thing is that my lot are not cake crazy. If I do 5 cakes I can give a whole one to dd's childminder who adores them [saw her drooooling when I mentioned that I was baking this year]. And I can give smaller portions as gifts and prob reserve 2 whole ones for ourselves.

I do it once a year! (perhaps why I can never remember much of what I did the last time)

Will let you know how they are.

[bobs]

I also do it once a year and DD1 and DH have finally decided they like them - although one doesn't like cherries and the other mixed peel.
I also make jams and marmalades for shows which I end up giving away - even if they are wonderful and have won 1st prize!!!

[maggiethecat]

It's a case of they don't know what they have!

Pleased to say that the cake turned out ok - added a bit more flour and 1 tsp BP and popped it in with another cake that I whipped up just to make use of energy and leftover fruit.

Rescued cake certainly did not rise much but I think that's ok bcos it's so heavily laden with fruit.

I discovered that I can actually get away with baking my cakes for just over 2 hours at 120C (fan assisted) rather than 3.5 hours which I did with ones last night.

House certainly smells more like Christmas - 5 cakes later

[bobs]

Yay...well done - bet the house smelt great! As ir was the last day of school our cupboards are now well stocked with all sorts of Xmas goodies - I started the honey roast peanuts and cashews tonight...must go to the gym sometime....Happy Christmas