Banana, are you sure the cake is really burnt, or just really dark in colour? Because really dark is fine and normal. If you scrape a bit off and it tastes burnt, that's different.
I'm wondering if your oven is hotter than normal, is it fan assisted, which might make a difference, in Delia's complete cookery course, her fruit cake recipe states put the cake in the lower half of the oven, in an ordinary one that would be slightly cooler than the temp. stated for baking. The temp you set this type of oven for is correct for the centre of the oven, the top is slightly hotter and the bottom slightly lower. In a fan assisted oven, the heat is uniform in all areas of the oven, so doesn't matter where you place things, but it might just have been too hot in this case. The only way to find out how accurate the temp is in your oven compared to the control setting, is to get an oven thermometer.
I would cut off any burnt bits if it was me, nobody will notice under the icing.
Profiterole, how sweet making the guinea pigs stockings! You make me feel better about filling a stocking with treats for our cat. Soppy's little stockings are really cute, but I have no inclination to learn to knit. I will sew happily, though. I have been to Ikea, and pretty much resisted everything in the Christmas dept. I did get a couple of Poang chair cushions, which I am in the process of making smaller to fit another pair of Ikea chairs, like slightly smaller versions of Poang but with no foam cushion pads. After they are done I have a jewelled throw to embellish, for the sofa at Christmas. I have all the beads and gems ready, and the throw itself is a pale gold quilted bedspread from Dunelm Mill, reduced in price.