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Christmas

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Original poster

Christmas Cake.

134 replies

beardsrock · 28/09/2015 15:43

Not sure if there is already a thread about Christmas cakes, I had a quick look but can't see anything so thought I'd start one!

Here is the cake that I will be making.

This will be the third year that i have made it and it has always been a success. I plan to shop for the fruit this week and then make it next week, I think it's bad luck to make it before October Grin

Lat year I used a mix of raisins, figs, dates, currants and cranberries for the fruit and I was very happy with the result. I'll use the same fruit this year and plan to feed it with Glenfiddich and port.

The smell whilst the fruit is steeping in the pan is incredible! and has to be taste-tested of course

OP posts:
Snausage · 14/10/2015 12:54

Of course it's not! It will be wonderful! I always find that the 24 hours proscribed by most recipes is never enough, though. I usually leave mine to soak for about a week. In the case of one of mine this year, a week, add more booze, another week Grin hic!

HellKitty · 14/10/2015 12:59

I don't think I can wait a week!

Snausage · 14/10/2015 14:35

Ha ha! I'm working 60 hour weeks at the moment so my spare time has been minimal. DP and DS have taken precedence over baking, so my fruit was soaking for aaaaages. I'm going to have to serve it with a breathalyzer!

DartmoorDoughnut · 14/10/2015 15:48

It is Snausage thank you! Making the cake for the first time this year as its our first 'proper' Christmas - DS was a few months old last year so my DM did the cake/pudding/mince pies, I'm rather over excited about doing it all this year! Out of the 3 which would you pick as your fav?

DartmoorDoughnut · 14/10/2015 15:58

I want to do MB's classic Victorian Christmas cake but don't fancy the sherry, think of using brandy instead but scared to mess with the queen of cakes!

Snausage · 14/10/2015 16:14

They are ALL delicious, DartmoorDoughnut! If I had to pick one, though, I would definitely say the calvados one. You'll be fine to use a different booze, just stick to the quantities in the recipe. Then you can decide if it could do with a bit more/less of something the next year, or sub some dried fruit for others if there's something you prefer. I tend to feed the cakes fortnightly after baking until Christmas. The week before I'll decide if they're going to be iced or not and, if so, I try to do it a couple of days before.
(It sounds as if your DS is about the same age as mine... Christmas last year, whilst lovely, was hard going. This year I am SO looking forward to it!)

Penfold007 · 14/10/2015 17:27

YouAndMeAreGoingToFallOut as rich fruit cakes only rise a little bit the flour type isn't that important. Use your favourite recipe and substitute a gluten free flour or even chickpea flour, Doves do a decent gluten free flour selection.

DartmoorDoughnut · 14/10/2015 18:41

Last year was good but shattering Snausage! Then he slept through the presents Shock so looking forward to it this year I've gone a bit Christmas mental Grin

Snausage · 14/10/2015 19:21

We could be twins, DartmoorDoughnut! I hosted last year and don't know how it happened. The only real preparation I'd done before giving birth was make the cake and buy some of the gifts. Christmas Day was an absolute blur and this year I'm so incredibly excited!

DartmoorDoughnut · 14/10/2015 19:35

We must be Snausage we hosted too, made a trifle for my FIL, it was huge! We were still eating it on NYE Grin

cantbelievemyeyes · 14/10/2015 22:10

I've just made Nigella's chocolate fruit cake for the first time and very happy with it. Replaced currants with cranberries, and used brandy instead of Tia Maria to save money. Dead easy and quick.

I made a little one to try and ate it all within an hour Blush

TheOddity · 14/10/2015 23:19

Operation Christmas cake under way. I managed to burn the top a bit while sitting on top of DS's bunk bed playing dollies. It only took two hours at 150 even though it is the bbcgoodfood 20cm tin/kilo of fruit recipe! I just got there in time to cover with foil and hoping regular whisky feeds will revive any dryness. Wish I could drink whisky and add moisture to my skin that way instead of paying silly amounts for Clinique

ginmakesitallok · 18/10/2015 18:18

You lot have inspired me to make my very first Christmas cake! It's cooling as we speak, caught a little on the top, but will hopefully be fine. Will be icing with royal icing, so excited!

Snausage · 19/10/2015 10:03

DartmoorDoughnut I LOVE having all the 'leftovers' things I've bought too much of specifically so that the cheer goes on all the way to January well in to the New Year!

cantbelievemyeyes It was good, then?! I replace currants with dried cherries or dates. The best thing about finding YOUR recipe is switching things around. You'll find the things you like best and perfect it. Did you use Cointreau and are you going to feed it with it?

TheOddity and ginmakesitallok my first cake caught a little bit on top, too, which is unusual. Feeding it regularly will work wonders! I like to feed it weekly sometimes bi-weekly, ahem until a few days before Christmas and then ice it, so the icing doesn't dry out so that I can get as much booze as possible in to it

Bizzledizzle · 19/10/2015 20:55

Has anyone made theirs with gin? Or shall I stick to the more traditional booze

Snausage · 19/10/2015 21:22

I have. Gin makes a lovely cake.

cantbelievemyeyes · 19/10/2015 21:40

Just brandy in mine Snausage and do plan to feed it- just discovered DH has drunk it all though! It was a little bottle, but still...

I'd have preferred it with dried cherries instead of cranberries, but they are a fair bit dearer. Probably won't decorate it, none of us likes marzipan or icing anyway!

ginmakesitallok · 19/10/2015 21:47

Can you mix the booze? I soaked fruit in port and brandy and fed it out of oven with brandy. Don't have much brandy left, but have just about anything else. My head says I need more brandy?

Snausage · 19/10/2015 22:05

He drank your cake brandybrandy, cantbelievemyeyes?! I hope he's going to replace it! Cherries are definitely dearer but I stumped up for this cake because it's Christmas and it's not as if it's going to go to waste. Every scrap of Christmas cake is devoured in my house!

I would either get more brandy, ginmakesitallok, or you could feed it with port if you have some? That would be delicious!

ginmakesitallok · 19/10/2015 22:09

I have plenty of port.

flatmouse · 20/10/2015 09:52

I used Brandy & Grand Marnier for soaking fruit (and massive load of fruit-thickened drained liquid fed the cake straight out of the oven).
Feeding will be with Grand marnier for the orangyness (and because i have a lot of that and i'm out of brandy).

peppansalt · 20/10/2015 09:54

Watching with interest!

Snausage · 20/10/2015 10:05

I would defo us port then, ginmakesitallok, if it were my cake!
flatmouse that's like my Cointreau one, except I've added some cocoa powder to mine... Xmas Wink

lisbapalea · 25/10/2015 08:50

Not sure if I am a bit late to the party here but I have a couple of cake questions:

I am loosely using Mary Berry's Christmas cake recipe which calls for 175g raisins, 500g currants, 350g sultanas, as well as 350g glacé cherries.

I am wonderibg if I can improvise with the contents of my cupboard: 2 500g bags of mixed fruit (mixed vine fruit and candied peel), half a bag of raisins, some fried figs, apricots and raisins, and a jar of morello cherries in syrup.

Will any/all of these be good if I use a combination of them to total the weight of the fruit Mary B recommends?

Lastly, I have sherry and dark rum - are these ok for soaking / feeding?

Penfold007 · 25/10/2015 09:13

lisbapalea I work out the total weight of dried fruit and then put together whatever dried fruit I have, I dont like glace cherries but do like figs etc. I would drain, rinse and dry the morello cherries. Sherry and dark rum are perfect for soaking and feeding

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