Christmas cake anyone?

[ContessasGulagSpaDay]

I'm making mine as we speak (vegan version of Delia Smith's one) and the brandy fumes are rendering me a little giddy!!

Who else makes their own? I was wondering if it was a dying tradition but DH thinks it's fairly common. Answers on a postcard please?

I'm not even sorry about posting this in September, my cake needs the frequent brandy baths maturation time

Recipe please?

WizardofToss I just pick the apples or even use windfalls, rough chop them, no need to peel and core. Put them in a large jar with a couple of cinnamon sticks and about 10 cloves, add brandy and vodka in equal parts to cover the apples and cover the jar. Store in a cool cupboard, shaking occasionally for about 4 weeks then strain. Make up some syrup using sugar and water and add to taste, put back in cool cupboard for another couple of weeks. Strain through coffee filters and bottle, it makes perfect gifts if you can bear to part with it

ICouldDo- me too! Exactly the same timing and recipe!

I won't do mine for a month or so (slacker) but I will be using a recipe Nigel Slater had in the guardian years ago, it has figs and prunes and apricots as well as all the usual stuff, I love it

I make mine in October and use the Stork baking book traditional recipe. Have done this for years. I never have been disappointed.

I have to make several n the run up and hide them in the hopes that one makes it to being iced. Everyone bar me loves Christmas cake it's like catnip to them

Tilly I love a good parkin, hence my username I usually make one for bonfire night as well. I use James Martin's recipe which is good. Parkin's another thing that's good to make in advance (although not as far in advance as Christmas cake). I love a bit of seasonal baking!

I've never wanted to join the Clandestine Cake Club groups but is anyone else wishing they could have a get-together and swap Christmas/assorted fruit cakes? :)

I often do, but didn't last year. I missed having a Christmas cake so will make one this year. Another vote for Mary Berrys recipe here!

DS1 asked for fruitcake for his birthday cake this week. For some reason that strikes me as an odd choice for a three year old but at least he didn't ask for coffee cake, which I was half expecting! The little beast is behind with most language skills but his cake vocabulary is quite impressive. As a result, I'm making the Delia Smith one today for him and then after DS2's birthday next week , I will do another Delia Smith one in a week or so for the Christmas cake.

DS1's birthday cake will a bit of a guinea pig. We have a new oven this year which is lovely and much less inclined to scorch things in odd places and I have a new tin too, which is square but unfortunately has rounded corners that I didn't notice in the shop, so I'm hoping to make proper corners out of marzipan before I ice it. Also, the new tin has handles so the wrapping in brown paper thing is definitely going to be more tricky.

Useful Felicity Cloake discussion of Christmas Cake recipes:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/nov/17/how-cook-perfect-christmas-cake

LBOCS2

Thank you. Yes it looks like it but when I made it a couple of years ago it was much sweeter like they had changed the recipe. When I saw this thread I thought maybe someone might have the old recipe so I could compare. I had made it for someone else twice and he thought it was much sweeter too in fact he found it too sweet to eat and gave it to his girlfriend who didn't mind the sweetness.
I might make it again just to try it. I'm thought of as a good baker so don't think I made any mistakes last time.

Tillytrotter I might just have those cards and that Parkin recipe. We're they in a blue box?