Not sure about this years' cakes

[lucysmam]

I make three (two large, one small just for my dad). The small one came out very pale & I've just cut it for experimental purposes (I can make another) and it's more like a sponge with added fruit rather than the heavyish texture of a Christmas cake iyswim?

I followed the same recipe, from dp's mum's Bero book, that I've used for the past eight years...I have no idea where I went wrong

Anyone

What's the recipe?

You did use brown sugar didn't you and normally Christmas cake has a bit of treacle too to get that rich brown colour

If you did use these ingredients then I can only say that perhaps your ingredients weren't properly mixed and that's why they are pale

hmmm, it doesn't have treacle and yes brown sugar.

I wondered if maybe it might be to do with using a fan instead of normal oven that I'm used to

still tastes good either way

No treacle in my cake, and it still goes lovely and dark.

What alcohol did you use to soak the fruits in? Was that different to other years?

Sherry, but I used sherry last year & they were darker.

I did the second of the big ones this morning, that's come out a bit darker than the others.

I'm truly baffled by it but at least I got to eat

Well every cloud has a silver lining!