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Original poster

Christmas Cake Club - Anyone who wants to join.......

225 replies

UCM · 13/10/2006 23:26

I am going to buy the fruit to soak this weekend (needs to be in sherry for a week) so I thought I would pass my recipe on to anyone who wants it. But anyone who is making their own cake please feel free to pass on tips or your own recipe, like what alternative alcohol do you use??

6oz sultanas
6oz raisins
4oz currants
4oz glacecherries
3oz mixed peel
1/4 pint sherry
6oz butter
6oz soft brown sugar
4 eggs
4oz SR flour
4oz plain flour
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
1oz ground almonds

Mix together all fruit. pour sherry over and leave to soak for 1 week, covered. Stir frequently until required.

Grease & line a 7 - 8 inch cake tin

Method

Cream butter & sugar until soft & fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Fold in flour, salt & ground almonds. Drain off any liquid from the fruit and mix fruit into mixture stirring until well blended. Put into prepared tin, smooth top and bake just below middle of oven for 1 hour on gas mark 3. Then cover with foil and reduce oven to gas mark 2 and cook for a further 1.5 hours until firm to touch. Leave to stand in tin until nearly cold. remove from tin, prick well and pour over liquid from dried fruit. Wrap in foil or greaseproof paper and leave to mature until a few days before christmas, then marzipan & ice.

Tips: I don't like almonds so didn't use em. I also put some chocolate liqueur in with the sherry. also I don't like marzipan so didn't ice, but did make one for a relative which I did ice and it was easy. I have never made a christmas cake before and I have to say this recipe works like a dream.

I thought we could have an 'add booze to Christmas Cake night, where you drip some more booze in once a week and drink some as well

OP posts:
Original poster
UCM · 15/10/2006 10:14

You can use whatever booze you like, and no I don't keep in fridge, I keep on the side in big bowl covered with clingfilm. I have heard stories of gin, whiskey, peach archers etc being used. As long as it's booze, you will be fine.

OP posts:
QueenQuootieSpookypieBee · 15/10/2006 10:32

Im excited now! Im making 2 ... below recipe, and, This one

littleshebear · 15/10/2006 21:35

Can I ask a stupid Christmas cake question? I have a bottle of brandy (half bottle, actually) that I only use for the Christmas cake. I have been gaily using it for ? years - at least 5, I would say - and it has only just occurred to me - does brandy last forever, as I am presuming it does? Or should I splash out on a new bottle? If so, thinking of going for irish whiskey - sure there's a recipe on here somewhere.

Last year I made my cake with luxury fruit mix which had crystallised pineapple in it and it was lovely - the recipe was on a sainsbury's recipe card. There's a recipe on the BBC website which has got pineapple in it - think I might do this one this year, or the whiskey one - can't decide.

Original poster
UCM · 16/10/2006 12:09

I would think so, booze just gets stronger I think. Not sure. But as I am very very late in organising myself. I am getting my fruit today as never had time yesterday.

OP posts:
Bozza · 16/10/2006 13:48

I would think it would be fine, but my bottle would never last so long even if it was only used for the cake!

Rosa5 · 16/10/2006 13:52

well I am going to be behind you all by about 10 days . Went shopping armed with list and despite this being the land of the grape they don't do much to dry the things.. I can only find sultanas unless any MNers can advise me on where I would find currants, raisins and glace cherries in Italy. Have sent SOS to friend coming next week but I will be just testing the alcohol that I did find to make sure its good for soaking when I get the rest of the ingredients!

GoingQuietlyMad · 16/10/2006 18:31

Right, I'm all set.

I bought the fruit today and it is now soaking in a dark corner of the kitchen. In the end I didn't want to use all my brandy, so used a bit of port left over from last Christmas. Should be interesting.

Original poster
UCM · 16/10/2006 19:15

I have dumped my fruit in bowl with sherry for now as a bottle of rum was 8.00 in Lidls. I am going to ask around and see if anyone has any little bottles of booze lying around that they don't want and add.

OP posts:
Original poster
UCM · 16/10/2006 19:17

I hate Glace cherries BTW so there are none of them just currants, sultanas, raisins and peel. Bought mixed fruit bags and used nearly 2 bags.

OP posts:
Original poster
UCM · 17/10/2006 14:37

I have looked in my bowl of soaking fruit and it's started to swell up nicely.... Yummmmmmmmm. Come on girls, it's not too late, buy some fruit and stick in a bowl with some booze, you will have a fabbo cake at the end of it.

OP posts:
flatmouse · 17/10/2006 14:41

Would it be considered inappropriate to say that the kids and I made ours two weeks ago
Had loads of fun on a Saturday afternoon - tasks split between DS (6), DD(3) and me.
Kids keep going on about how they've made the cake already! And it's been fed twice already

flatmouse · 17/10/2006 14:50

I'm sorry - has my boasting killed the thread?
For info i followed Delia recipe (vaguely). Fruit (heavy on glace cherries) was more than liberally doused in brandy for 24hrs pre-making. (also included some dried cranberries as there were some in the cupboard). Doubled almond quantity as well.
Am feeding cake cointreau this year for a more fruity flavour.

Original poster
UCM · 17/10/2006 18:18

Ner ner

OP posts:
Bozza · 18/10/2006 11:24

Have ordered brandy which will be arriving tomorrow. Think I may need to order more raisins - people keep eating them! Will amend order at lunchtime. So will be all set to start soaking this weekend.

Bozza · 18/10/2006 11:24

Have ordered brandy which will be arriving tomorrow. Think I may need to order more raisins - people keep eating them! Will amend order at lunchtime. So will be all set to start soaking this weekend.

flatmouse · 18/10/2006 15:43

Bozza - it's the fruit that's supposed to soak

Bozza · 18/10/2006 15:44
Grin
kickassangel · 18/10/2006 16:36

wighed out the fruit & started soaking it last night. have had to hide it from myself or i'll just keep eating it!

MadamePlatypus · 18/10/2006 16:42

When are you planning to do the baking? I thought we were about a month away from having to bake the cake? (or is that the pudding?)

CountessDracula · 18/10/2006 16:42

what sort of sherry? Dry, medium, sweet?

Bozza · 19/10/2006 08:56

I am going to soak the fruit for c. 1 week and then bake the cake at the end of the month. Brandy coming tonight.

CD I don't think it would matter what kind of sherry you use. If you don't have any in I would be tempted to buy a sweet one.

trace2 · 20/10/2006 10:18

mines in oven now cooking, ive made 3 large one small

Roskva · 20/10/2006 10:53

This sounds like fun - is it too late to join in? I've never made a christmas cake before...

Roskva · 20/10/2006 10:53

This sounds like fun - is it too late to join in? I've never made a christmas cake before...

ghosty · 21/10/2006 04:31

Mine is in the oven as I type. A big 23cm square one ... which, when it comes to icing it I will cut in half and have two 'loaf' shaped ones - one to keep the MIL sweet - she thinks I am a good wife and mother because I bake and breastfeed - not at the same time obviously ... well, DD stopped at 1 but that as MIL didn't bf either of her children she thinks I am a goddess of fertility and domesticity ... but I digress ...
The other half will be for us.
Recipe similar to UCM's only double the quantities and some extras (my mother's secret recipe, if I told you I would have to kill you ... only kidding, will post it if you want)

I feel all smug and self righteous

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