Anyone making a Christmas cake and is it worth it?

[MooMooFarm]

Am thinking about it after getting all inspired and having a flick through 'Delia's Christmas' last night. She starts by saying her Christmas recipe book is something I should have 'reached for in October' so I'm already behind schedule ha ha.

So should I try making the cake or is it not worth the agro?

OMG Slubber - my sister made the girdlebuster last year - we were determined to eat it but we literally couldn't bite through the bottom layer - eventually we put it in a bag and clomped it with a hammer to break it up!

lol @ a festive appetiser. Really?! And then roll in to dinner

Paisley, yes, a january cake might be better.

oh yes

stretches the gut in preparation

all the dried fruit is good for regularity I also find

[lowers the cake tone]

MooMoo but did you eat any of it?

jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesums utterly gopping

way way way too sweet.

all my teeth fell out of my head spontaneously with fright.

We also couldn't get it out of the bastard dish.

I make mine every year, much nicer imo. And I use Delia's recipe.

hello bella

Slubbbbbbbbbbbbbbbber hello.

What delights have you got for decorating your cakes this year? What is in and what is soooooo last year?

Well with 4 to do I thought I would deffo do one that was blue, maybe quite dark blue with white trees.

haven't thought through the others. A white and gold tasteful simplicity one maybe

talking of decorating I very nearly made a serious and fatal cake mistake the other day.

was in the decorating shop looking at those pots of gel icing colours (so many greens ) and underneath were the little pots of edible glitter (OR SO I THOUGHT). So I got my pot of holly green and thought I'd splash out and get soem jolly red glitter, only to be told at the check out that not all edible glitter is, well, edible.

Top tip, if it DOESN'T say edible on the pot, it's not edible EVEN IF it's in the edible glitter section.

But what I cannot understand is, why the feck do they make glitter - that is going on a cake that someone is going to eat non edible . Are you supposed to cut these bits off the cake and throw them away?

MisSalLaneous - yes, definitely try (a good mixer is key I say!).

Thanks HerculesPoirot, will give it a try then. Only need half an excuse to use it - love it, which is odd for a mostly non-baker. Makes me think of my mom and home baked happiness! :)

I nearly bought non edible glitter for my cake off a cake decorating site. Then I noticed the warning. What is the point. Do people really make and decorate cakes just for an amusing centrepiece?

I'm decorating mine in cut out snowflakes as in this years Christmas edition of Delicious magazine. It won't work, will look nothing like the pics but I'll damn well try.

i have cheated! i bought an un-iced cake from sainsburys, i will greaseproof wrap it, and feed it, then marzipan and ice it myself. (its only my mum and sister that eat it really so didnt want to make one and have the effort wasted

I agree bella and Claire. Upon close further questioning of the lady selling the glitter she mumbled something about 'flowers that you're not supposed to eat anyway'. I gave her the

Most home-made christmas cakes I hve eaten have just not been that nice. All dem currants.

I don't believe you lot can actually make a tasty one

Does the cake need to be stored in a 'cool dry place' before it's iced etc or is it ok in my kitchen which gets freezing / boiling depending on whether DH has been at the radiators / I've been at the cooker??

pointy you have obviously never tasted my cake

Remember I keep my cake wrapped in foil in a tin in the kitchen. The heat from cooking etc doesn't seem to do it any harm. I need it close at hand otherwise I forget to feed it.

Slubber! How are you?!

I'm not bothering with a trad xmas cake this year, as no-one eats it but me. I'm going to knock up one of these Nigella lovelies which has the marzipan chopped up and baked into the cake. All the joys of marzipan and none of the bother of icing.

Chippy me olde mate, how are you?

This cake you describe sounds very simnal-y (and therefore yummy).

I always have slight icing angst as I actually prefer the taste of royal icing on my christmas cake but, despite being shown 3 times now how to Royal ice a cake nicely with all the waiting between the layers and the straighteners and sweeping and swooshing the thought of having a lopsided not perfectly smooth cake makes me reach for the old roll out sugar paste.

I'm fine btw thanks for asking

Royal icing is over-rated unless you are making a snowscene with plenty of swirls and peaks (or is that cheating?).

It is indeed a delicious cake, with the added bonus of being feed-able - white rum, or possibly amaretto.

I am doing 'your' GH xmas pud again this year - the one that's done in the oven. Recipe on this thread if anyone wants it

"And the smell in your house tomorrow....it's a good smell."

Icing snow storm is not cheating per-se but I always do a little mental nod of impressedness if I come across a properly royal iced cake with beautiful smart edges.

Your nigella cake sounds lovely. i'm feeding the cake I'm keeping (sounds like a litter of puppies) with amaretto too. I will also be doing the GHK pudding in a few sundays time. I concur about the smell.

DEFINITELY worth it, and not very much aggro at all! Making a christmas cake is what really puts me (and the kids) in the mood for the festive season! They're not too complicated to make if you stick to a good recipe.

I made mine at the weekend - DD supervised :) While making the mixture, it's always a nice idea to get the kids to stir and make a wish. My DM always used to let me do this every christmas.

Amy