Alternative, non-traditional christmas cake?

[Grockle]

I'm making a traditional cake to give to my family but I'd like to make something a bit lighter & different for home.

Something fruity but not necessarily needing marzipan & icing. I always do a Yule log for Yule so we'll have had something rich & chocolatey.

Any suggestions? I've googled but can't decide.

The chocolate and prune one in Nigella Christmas is bloody lovely and Christmassy without being too trad.

posting so i can find this again. i am going out to give blood but have a nice recipe for a special white choclatey orangey cake thing.

will post it when i return :)

I'm posting to get kcumber's recipe

My sist always makes an Italian Christmas cake, I'll try and get the recipe, it's gorgeous!

Last year I made a spherical chocolate cake a pored icing on the top so that it looked like a Christmas pudding. And I put edible holly on the top. It's a shame I can't upload photos here, it really looked the part!

That should say italian chocolate Christmas cake.

Fab ideas, thank you. Looking forward to kcumbers recipe!

I always used to do a big upside down pineapple cake for the exH as he didn't like fruitcake. New fella (lovely) isn't fussy so he gets a fruitcake, a sponge cake shaped like a Christmas tree which is the main decorated cake and a lovely sticky date loaf.

Ha, was just coming on to say whatever you do, don't do Nigella's chocolate and prune one because it's minging.

my apologies i forgot about you! will fetch it now!

Orange and White Chocolate Cake

butter
6 eggs, large, seperated
9oz golden caster sugar (i used bog standard caster and that was fine too)
5oz SR flour
5oz ground almonds
juice and zest of 3 oranges
3.5oz golden granulated (again i used ordinary amd it was fine)
225ml sweet white wine
12oz sliced strawberries

Genache- 8oz chopped white chocolate
1 pint double cream

--

1. preheat oven to 180c (gas mark 4/160c fan) grease 9 inch round tin with butter. line tin.

1. whisk egg whites until they form soft peaks. beat in 2oz of the caster sugar and mix till stiff and glossy.

1. whisk egg yolk and remaining sugar in seperate bowl until mousse like. gently stir in the flour then fold in egg whites gently and gradually (about a third at a time) then fold in almonds and orange zest.

1. pour into prepared tin and bake for about half an hour or just over (do skewer test if unsure). allow to cool a little in tin then turn out to cooling rack.

1. put orange juice, granulated sugar and wine into a pan and heat gently until sugar dissolves. turn up heat and boil for about 5 minutes until thick and syrupy. cool and set aside.

1. make ganache- put chocolate and half the cream into a bowl and melt gently over a pot of simmering water. dont let the bowl touch the water. stir to combine.

1. take the bowl off the heat and allow to cool. beat mixture with wooden spoon until cold and thick.

1. whip remaining cream and beat a large spoonfool into chocolate mix to loosen. then fold in the remaining whipped cream and chill for 2 hours.

1. cut cake in half horizontally and make holes with a skewer all over the inside (cut sides). drizzle orange and wine syrup over cake and allow to soak in.

10. spread a quarter of the ganache over the basemof the cake and top with sliced strawberries to make filling. put top half of cake on and press gently down.

11. cover the whole cake in ganache using a pallete knife and then cool for four hours.

this was from good housekeeping ages ago and it's yummy. i have written it mostly as it is on the page but i find it makes more sense to do the ganache first amd let it chill while you do the cake.

hope you like it, i also found an egg nog and rasperry trifle cake which looks delicious if you are interested. i may give this one a bash myself.