christmas cake for fruit-cake haters?

[Whenisitmysleepytime]

any ideas?
i'd like to make a cake for christmas (i won't be cooking on the day) but me and dh are not fans of fruit cake. dh hates it and i'm not fussed enough to make baking one worth while.

i'd love some suggestions please! :)

Yes, chirpchirp - cream cheese would be yummy and you're right about looking like carrot cake - but I'm not sure it's Christmassy enough?

I've just read this thread properly and seen the brandy log recipe. God, that sounds good. I always do a rocky road for Christmas but that might have to be replaced this year. Or at the very least made into a log shape!!!

JoyceBarnaby I've never tried gingercake with marzipan , I make my marzipan with Amarretto and lemon juice, but you could use sherry(more traditional Christmas cake-y flavour)

I always put a lemon juice glace icing on gingercake so you get the contrast of flavour and the crispness of the icing.
It keeps really well in an airtight tin.
Have a trial run at Guy Fawkes Night- another gingerbread/gingercake time of year

Mmm - I like the idea of the glacé icing! And the idea of a trial run... Thanks!

The problem is.........None of my family particularly like christmas fruit cake either but we all LOOOOOOOVE xmas traditions and I always make a fruit cake in november because we all get to stir the mixture, it means xmas is coming (in november) and gets everybody feeling all cosy.

Soooo, how do I replace all that with a cake that, looking at all the recipes above, would have to be made a few days before xmas day???

In other words, are there any other cakes I can make in november that will last until xmas but don't involve dried fruit?

CDMforever You could make a sponge based cake in November as normal and then freeze it before decorating. My mum usually has an "emergency" chocolate cake in her freezer for unannounced guests/forgotten parties.

We all have a huge chocolate log with fudge icing. Way better than fruit cake!

If you want to make something in advance what about ginger biscuits to decorate and hang from the tree?

Thanks TPP AND gillybean both great ideas.

I've never frozen a cake before, do they come out "as good as new"?

As long as you desfrost it properly before serving (thanks for that one Nana!), we've certainly never noticed!

We always eat way too much - so don't bother with cake on top of all the usual stuff - no one eats much so it gets chucked out when it goes green - takes a long time for that to happen!!

Oh bugger, I'm sitting watching Great British Bake off and now I want to attempt a croquembouche. Ideas above my station I think!

there are some ace ideas here ladies!
i've been watching great british bake off too and was quite liking the idea of the father christmas cheese cake :)

i'm hungry!