If you make your own Christmas cake

[Pinkyyy]

Share some wisdom!

I'm going to attempt my first ever Christmas cake. Is now a good time to make it? I'd say I was a half decent baker but have never tried anything like this before. Would love some advice on how to make it a success!

@Redshoesandtheblues definitely worth making your own mince pies! I always end up making loads. I'd like to learn how to make my own mincemeat if I ever get chance too.

@proudestofmums I like your style

Thanks so much for all the advice and recipe recommendations! I love Christmas baking.

Whatever you do, don't use bloody Felicity Cloake's recipe. I normally like her Guardian column but she suggests baking her Christmas Cake for a laughably short period of time - it was still like batter at the end of her suggested cooking time.

Made mine ( Delia Smith ) at the end of August . I probably make 3/4 throughout the year.
Definitely line your tin. I double greaseproof the base of the tin. I also line the outside with a length of cardboard ,cut to size, and then wrapped in foil. Use strong to hold it all together. When you have to use greaseproof for the top you can tuck it under the string so it stays in place. I don't know what size you are making but I use the large square size so it needs nearly 4 hours of cooking so all this time prep really helps.

My recipe is from the Daily Mail, about 30 years ago. (I don't buy the DM, my ex always insisted on buying it. At least I got the recipes.)

The recipe has raisins, sultanas, currants, prunes (a few, diced small), apricots, glace cherries, glace ginger, all soaked for at least 3 days in a mix of brandy and fresh orange juice.

I generally make it at October half term, ours tends to happen earlier than most counties.

I make my own. Family recipe so I've no idea how old it is. The cake is currently still in the lined tin, in a cake box. I feed it every week or so with a splash of spirits - this year I'm using brandy, but I've done it with sherry in the past. When it's time to ice it, it's really boozy & I probably wouldn't recommend driving after eating a slice. I double line my tin (takes ages, it's the worst bit of making it!) I think mine is an 8.5 inch tin & it usually takes 4.5 hours in the oven. I do it the first week DD is back at school after the summer holidays. I'll take the tin off shortly but I don't remove the paper until I'm ready to ice it.

I've also made figgy pudding a couple of times. Much better than the usual Christmas puddings from the shops, IMHO. I steam it in a big hob-top pan steamer. The water needs topping up more than once, BTW, unless you do really small ones - I think mine is a 2pt basin.

I’ve been making the James Martin cake every year for a few years now - made this years 2 weeks ago and will feed it brandy every 2 weeks. Best cake recipe I’ve ever made- it’s gorgeous

Oh and I don't put the entire batch of batter in my mixer at once after I've added the fruit - I split it into 4, as I physically can't mix the fruit in by hand.

A lot of people have recommended the James Martin one, I'm tempted to use it because I've always had success with recipes from BBC good food.

Now I'm torn between that one and Delia!

Oh Lord!! I'm getting hooked on idea of baking again.

Bugger my daughter printed off a Xmas cake recipe and we made it yesterday. Never made one in my life and we felt quite proud as it looks the part BUT the recipe never mentioned presoaking the fruit , does that mean it’ll be no good? Should we start again?

Yes! In fact I'd be doing ours this weekend if we didn't have visitors coming. I usually work on the last weekend of September, and then 'feed' every two weeks... I've been using the same recipe for years and it never let's me down

I've been inspired by this thread to make a christmas cake, despite the fact that no one likes it! Going to make mincemeat as well I think! Might even make a christmas pudding, even though no one eats that either!

I always do Delia’s recipe but definitely reduce the baking time by at least an hour!

I made mine last weekend so you’re not too early!

Gizzi Erskine's chocolate Christmas cake is also wonderful! I've done it two years so far, and every year gained more people asking for me to make them one. Year one I made one, year two I made two, and year three I've been asked to make four

@worldsworststepfordwife. Not at all. Just feed it regularly.

Delia here too. I soak my fruit in Brandy but then feed the baked cake with Grand Marnier - the orangey-ness gives the cake a lovely extra flavour.
I’ve also been known to add a tot of Grand Marnier to a hit chocolate tk make a very grown up hot chocolate orange. Mmmmm.

Typos. Sorry. hot chocolate and to make a very...

I'm surprised it's so early for Christmas cakes. We haven't had stir up Sunday yet have we? And that's for Christmas pudding iirc which can keep longer than the cake.

OP - I made a cake last year, about a month before Christmas. It was lovely! The recipe came from my 88 year old mother's Good Housekeeping cookery book.

I can't wait until a month before Christmas, this thread has me so excited to make it!

I usually use a mix of alcohols, I think it gives a more rounded flavour. The last couple of years it's been brandy, amaretto, kirsch, port and angostura bitters. I soak the fruit in it for a couple of weeks before making the cake, then I don't feed it at all. It works really well.

I'm doing mine the second sunday of november. It doesn't feel right before Halloween. Then I should have the Christmas Good Food magazine to flick through while it bakes : )

I've made the Delia recipe a couple of times but find it overcooks in my oven. Mary Berry's worked better for me. If you do use the Delia one, use a good strong brown paper to protect it from burning.

Stir up Sunday is November 24th this year.

Oh, I so want to make one, but only I ate it last year, anyone want to come round and help me?

Tobebythesea That’s great

I do a boiled fruit cake one..might be Nigella, can’t remember. Soak the fruit the night before, boil it all up in a pan with the butter etc.
Makes a lovely moist cake