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!

Whatthefunk I always marzipan and ice it, but you could have it as it is or top with some glacé fruits x

I found my grandma's kitsch 1950's cake decorations when my parents moved house and used them last year. I had sort of hoped my DM might be quite sentimental when she saw it but she turned out not to be particularly so. She loved eating it though.

I probably could have removed the torch and the upturned plug before I took the photo.

@Pimmsypimms some of the cakes on there looked amazing! Good luck!

@MuseumOfYou that's so sweet! Your icing looks great too

Your icing looks great too

Thanks! Usually I just use fondant but I made royal icing from scratch with egg whites and glycerine for the first time; very satisfying! It sort of melted when you ate it, like Edinburgh rock sweets.

By the way, I think most people on here must be likely candidates for the annual Poncetastic thread - new for 2019!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/Christmas/3701411-it-s-poncetastic-2019

I don't particularly like fruit cake BUT one I do like is Delia's Creole Christmas cake. Mum made it for my birthday once! About 4 different booze in it. Drooooool!

oh god! The Poncetastic thread is up!
Thank you!
Museum- I am a retro Christmas fan and your cake took me straight back to how my Mum did ours in the 70s. You've inspired me to make my own icing instead of buying it

Mary Berry's quick boiled fruit cake is the easiest ever - done and dusted in a couple of hours.

I usually make mine by October half term as that’s when I used to help my Dad make the family one (don’t know what recipe he used, he wrote me out my own version on blank postcards for when I left home!). I also soak the fruit for about a week. And for those that don’t like the cake to taste too boozy, you can use tea instead of brandy/rum - still gives it a rich albeit different flavour.

I cover the cake tin with foil, so I can turn the edges under.
I don't make mine until the week before Christmas, as it's a sugar-free recipe; and I think it might go off if I made it too early.

Museum- I am a retro Christmas fan and your cake took me straight back to how my Mum did ours in the 70s. You've inspired me to make my own icing instead of buying it

Christmas feels a very nostalgic time, more so, the older you get, I think.

Glad you feel inspired, it tasted lovely! (I always peel fondant icing off, it's not terribly nice)

Am so looking forward to making my cakes; I do them for friends, family, neighbours etc.

I work for a Christmas charity and it's incredibly busy this time of year, obviously so, and I love to shut myself in the kitchen with some nice festive music and just chill out.