Best Christmas cake recipe please!

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I've never made one before. Please throw your recipes at me! When is the best time to make it?

October half term. Mary Berry's celebration fruit cake. Fruit soaked in sherry for 3 days then cooked for 12 hours in the bottom oven of the Aga.

I just made mine...

Well dp did

He has no set recipe just glances roughly at the first hit on google and adapts it to suit. Our
Fruit was soaking in amaretto, spiced rum and brandy

I do a version of Delias - but with sultanas not currants or raisins and white sugar .

But - the cooking times in the book I have are too long (maybe see if there's an updated version?)

Delia, for an hour less than she suggests in her 1970s recipe, when ovens were shite.

I make mine early Nov and we start eating it about mid Dec, otherwise it never gets eaten. I make a big square one so it's easy to cut into little squares.

Another vote for Delia's. Made mine on Saturday.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/07/baking-dessert

I have tried several over the years, trying to find one I really like.
The Delia one is really good if you like your fruitcake quite dark - but it is a little too dark for my preference.

I found this one by Nigel Slater last year. I used port instead of brandy and it made it a bit sweeter, which i like, and is quite a 'light' tasting but still rich cake. Normally Christmas cake keeps us going to the first week of Feb....this one disappeared before New Year and I had to make another one.

I did Mary Berry's this year. Let the fruit soak in sherry for three days beforehand which I've never done before (usually only soak it for a day). It cooked in my oven for a lot less time than she recommended though. Oh it smelt divine... It came out perfect, I have a very good feeling about it. It's the most perfectly moist and spongy christmas cake I've ever made. Feeding it with a tablespoon of sherry a week. Can't wait to eat it .

See my earlier post pool

I too do Mary's. Tis delish.

Delia's creole christmas cake is lovely and very simple to make.