When do you make your Christmas cakes ?

[Miasma]

Is now to soon ?

Mine's already done. Think a lot of people on here have done theirs already as well

I always do mine at Halloween and feed it Brandy weekly until Christmas

Ahh cool! I'm a Christmas cake virgin, it's quite exciting :)

Good luck, my dd helped with both that I've done this year & they turned out better that they do when I do them on my own! Am a bit as to why!!

I have to do mine when everyone is home so that they can all have a stir and make a wish

oooh now what do you do about the brandy thing if the main consumers are going to be pregnant or young children??

I make mine in the week before christmas, and the pudding too - but thats because they are gluten free and alcohol free and dont keep like normal ones would

Last week, giving lots of time for feeding it. It's essentially a bottle of brandy in an old Quality Street tin by the time we pour cut it.

RememberToPlay, you could just skip the feeding it alcohol part. Would be more like a normal fruit cake but with a bit of jazzy icing chances are no-one'll notice!

No one did when I didn't feed mine brandy when I was pg last xmas & it still went down a treat!

This weekend!

I always remember around October half term, and then wish I'd one it a month earlier. I make two, one for Christmas and one for later in the year. The second one is invariably better.

I'd better get started!

That would be done not one, obviously...

Well I made Delias yesterday and it didn't look especially appetizing when it came out of the oven but we'll have to see

I too made Delia's yesterday - it smells lovely but it took an hour longer to cook than I expected (I'd made it slightly too moist)

I don't really know what to 'feed' it with - no one apart from me likes the taste of alcohol though I did steep the fruit in port and tea

Mine too half an hour less than I expected but I had to guestimate the temp of the oven as half the tempretures have washed off my oven!

I think I read somewhere you can feed it with oorange juice.

Hopefully they both taste lovely Laurie :)

Just finished getting all my fruit measured and soaked in brandy ready to mix up tomorrow, then came on Mumsnet and saw this thread!Using Mary Berry recipe - was a triumph last year(first time!) and am hoping for a repeat this Christmas.

If I'm not adding brandy or only add a bit, when should I make it do you think? Doesn't the brandy stop it going stale?