anyone else thinking about the cake yet?

[Methe]

I put my fruit in to stew yesterday with a LOAD of brandy

Made my cake and pudding in April. Feeding cake brandy when I remember, and will do the marzipan and icing a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Made so much mincemeat last year that I won't need to make that for this Christmas.

Bloody hell you're good! April!

I have it pencilled in my diary for mid-September.

Not good exactly, but I am rather partial to a boozy matured Christmas cake....

Thankfully no-one in our house likes it. We get a sticky toffee pudding from Cartmel instead.

I always think about cake

Anyone care to share the best no-nut cake recipe pls? I might make my first Christmas cake this year [excited]

DH is the one in charge of fruitcake making in this house, so no. I daresay he'll be mucking about with boozes and fruit soonish. We buy the Christmas pudding. I also make another pudding option on Xmas eve so no need to think about that yet either.

We make the cakes at the beginning of October

We get together as a family and bake them as a group, this year I am not going to ice it as it seems none of my family or friends eat the marzipan or icing!

My Q: when do you cut the cake? My mum used to start eating it from boxing day but I think by then I am over stuffed, this year is our first Christmas in our first family home and a chance to start some new traditions

Oh and I don't make Christmas pudding as I hate it. Though quite fancy experimenting with a light spiced dessert.

frank how much brandy ( or sherry? both?) do you recon you put in your cake and how often do you feed it?

eyes Last year we had a party on christmas eve so i saved it till then and then no-one wanted any as hey were too full of trifle and posh cheese! This year I think i'll cut it on about the 20th.. it's only me that eats it anyway.

I'm going to start mine in the week and a spare that will be cut into indivdual cakes to be boxed and added to handmade chutneys and truffles etc into little baskets.

Bobby I have used this Delia recipe for the past 18 years. One of my DDs doesn't like nuts, so I skip them and add in a couple of extra ounces of fruit instead. It really is a great cake, very easy and tastes the proverbial wotnots!

Methe gosh, I guess every couple or three weeks on average, and just an egg cup full, maybe 10/15 mls I should think. It ends up as the most beautifully moist cake. Doesn't dry at all once it's been cut either.

Oh bloody hell I want to eat it now.

Nut free cake - chocolate fudge cake with chocolate icing and then gold chocolate stars in the shape of an xmas tree with icing sugar dusting if you like.
You can get edible chocolate stars online.

October half term break I`ll be making 2 for christmas presents!!