I made my cake this morning!

[gingerclementine]

It's baking now. Loads of spices, dried apricots, dates and cherries as well as the usual fruits, almonds, brandy, cointreau and orange zest. Smelling good. I like to do a slightly different one each year.

What's in yours?

Sultanas, currants, raisins, cherries, soaked for three days in sherry, orange rind, almonds, mixed spice, cooked for 12 hours in the bottom oven of the Aga.

I do the same every year as I am dull.

That sounds gorgeous. I usually soak the fruit for 24 hours but I was feeling impatient today and just kept on addomg ingredients until it was ready to go in the oven.
Not tried sherry in Christmas cake. Sounds good. Do you feed it alcohol before Christmas too or just wrap it up and store it?

I feed brandy when I remember. Which is often! I usually forget to ice it until a Christmas Eve when dd and I shout 'cake'.

I feel better now! I normally have made mine beginning of November but I am SO late this year!

The smell when it's in the oven......if you could only bottle that smell!

I told my dad it was too late to make him one after he requested it the other day! May do it tomorrow now. Could I please have a foolproof guide or a recipe?

Ooh my fruit is soaking but aware im doing it "late". Hope to cook it tomorrow. I'm hoping to feed it - do people do it weekly? Can it be overdone?

I must make one. Does anyone have a trusty recipe they can share?

Jungle, I use this as you can vary the flavours a bit each year but the basics are the same:

150g plain flour
150g soft brown sugar
150g butter
3 eggs
600-800g your choice of dried fruit (can just do sultanas etc or can add figs, apricots, cherries etc if you like) soaked in 100-150ml your choice of spirits (I used brandy and cointreau)
50-100g your choice of finely chopped nuts (I used almonds, but walnuts/hazelnuts/brazils are also good)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg finely grated
zest of one orange
juice of same orange

Put spices, zest, OJ and spirits in a bowl with the fruit, stir and soak overnight if you have time.
Beat sugar and butter together, add beaten eggs, then flour and nuts, then fold in the spicy alcohol soaked fruit.

Put into a deep cake tin that's been buttered, double lined with greaseproof paper and has a double layer of brown paper tied round the outside. Bake low in the oven on 150 deg (Gas mark 2 I think) for 2.5 hours, but check it after 2 hours as you might want to put foil on top to stop it over-browning.

Test with a skewer. Should come out clean. If not, put back in the oven for another 15-30 mins and test again.

Cool inside its tin. Store in an airtight container and 'feed' it with a teaspoon of licquor of your choice each week until Christmas.
Just before Christmas, warm 2 tbsp of apricot jam until soft and spread on the cake to act as glue, thencover with a layer of marzipan and if you like, one of fondant icing. Or cover with rows of glace cherries and nuts and glaze with more melted apricot jam.