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Christmas

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Original poster

Christmas Cake virgin, am I too late and if not which recipe?

27 replies

3littlemincemeatpies · 02/11/2019 12:03

Just what the title says really, have wanted to make my own Christmas cake for years but either I haven’t had the time or my mum has made me lazy by making one for me Grin

Am I too late and if not which recipe is the best, nicest and most importantly fool proof?

Oh and any hints or tips to not muck it up would be much appreciated!! Grin

OP posts:
WelshMammaofaSlovak · 02/11/2019 13:00

It's not too late and tbh you cajole make it a week before Christmas and it would still be nice just not as nice. I use a different recipe every year and have never yet had a bad one! The BBC Good Food ones are always reliable and I find Christmas cake to be remarkably forgiving - I sometimes chuck in different fruits and nuts according to what I've got in my cupboards and they still always work - just make sure that you use the same quantity of fruit and nuts by weight and it'll be fine. I love a really fruity cake so I include figs and apricots and then also some candied ginger. I know what I'll be doing one evening this week now when dd is asleep! Cheers for the reminder.

viques · 02/11/2019 13:15

I use the Nigel Slater small Christmas cake recipe that is on the guardian online . Just google a combination of those words for the recipe. I agree with the poster above the devil is in the details, in this case the fruit. I like a mix of golden sultanas, sour cherries, cranberries,apricots and good candied fruit. I like a mix of colours!

Still plenty of time to bake and let it mature.

Ps I'm also a fan of a proper marzipan and royal icing finish to a Christmas cake, I sourced some vintage French porcelain decorations (mostly cherubs) a few years ago, got a bit carried away, so have got enough to decorate Christmas cakes for the next few years.

dorothysredshoes · 02/11/2019 13:44

Not too late. I usually do mine in half term and use the Delia Smith classic Christmas cake recipe. Always turns out great and I'm not a baker. I put Christmas tunes on as I bake.

TheSandgroper · 02/11/2019 13:51

I’ve just done my first ones . I used Darina Allen’ recipe which is huge. You can google it. I used more booze. I used a smaller tin as dh says that’s a better size for him. Two down with batter still leftover.

I have over cooked them both a bit so will be making notes for next time. Still and all, I am pleased enough.

Wrapping the tin in greaseproof paper was a pain until I got the stapler out and showed it what was what.

So, I have to cook the last one and ice one. The others will go into the freezer.

SpringFan · 02/11/2019 13:55

Agreed - not to late- I seem to always end up making mine in half term week, so it was done on Monday.
I use the Delia one mentioned up thread. I make a massive one (11" tin) but I think the old tin needs to go, so it will be smaller in future.
Good luck

CaptainBrickbeard · 02/11/2019 14:02

My youngest has just been diagnosed with a nut allergy including almonds. He’s not that interested in Christmas cake so will be fine not to have any but I wondered if anyone knows a nut-free alternative to marzipan I could use? I just prefer to not have nuts in the house now; better safe than sorry! Or should I just make the cake without marzipan? I’ve always slavishly followed the BBC Good Food recipe!

CaptainBrickbeard · 02/11/2019 14:03

Oh and I usually make it mid to late November so you aren’t too late, OP! Think I might do it next week this year.

BigFatLiar · 02/11/2019 14:13

@CaptainBrickbeard - If you google nut free marzipan you'll get a number of recipes, they seem to be based on semolina & vanilla.

ThePolishWombat · 02/11/2019 14:19

Has anyone done a slow cooker Christmas cake?!
I’ve seen a recipe for it, but don’t want to waste the ingredients if it’s crap or doesn’t work properly Confused

Reallybadidea · 02/11/2019 14:24

I do the Dan Lepard Caramel Christmas Cake It's so moist and really lovely. Definitely not too late to make it.

Pinkyyy · 02/11/2019 14:24

I made a thread about this a few weeks ago and had some amazing advice, I used the recipe from BBC good food that a few people recommend and it's turned out looking great. Only time will tell if it tastes good too!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3702060-If-you-make-your-own-Christmas-cake

campion · 02/11/2019 14:28

CaptainBrickbeard leave the marzipan out and just add a slightly thicker layer of fondant icing. It works fine.

Or don't ice it at all.Christmas cake (minus icing)with a hunk of Wensleydale cheese is actually the perfect combination!

Original poster
3littlemincemeatpies · 02/11/2019 14:39

Thanks everyone, I’m really sadly excited not to light my candles have a sherry and start my cake...Grin

I have a lot of walnuts could I adapt one of the suggested recipes and put them in as like quite a nutty cake.

OP posts:
SpringFan · 02/11/2019 14:44

NO, its not Wensleydale with Christmas cake, it is a good mature Cheddar, according to my Yorkshire mother.

Reallybadidea · 02/11/2019 14:45

The one I posted has loads of walnuts in but yes you can adapt.

CaptainBrickbeard · 02/11/2019 14:49

Thanks everyone!

campion · 02/11/2019 15:06

SpringFan your mother is sadly misinformed and misguidedGrin

I can hardly credit that a fellow tyke would make such a basic mistake! If no Wensleydale available then Lancashire (Shock) Cheshire or Caerphilly will do...all tangy and crumbly. Cheddar is all kinds of wrong..

LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD · 02/11/2019 15:09

Dan Lepard? There’s a name from the past. Is he still cooking? I did a class with him a million years ago.

campion · 02/11/2019 15:15

On reflection SpringFan the fact that she eats cheese with her cake is A Good Thing,so I'll grudgingly go along with mature cheddarSmile

AlviesMam · 02/11/2019 15:17

Mary Berry!!!Grin

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/classicchristmasscake04076

StillRunningWithScissors · 02/11/2019 16:31

@CaptainBrickbeard DC also has a nut allergy (discovered, ironically, when making a Christmas cake, they were breaking up the walnuts), I just searched and found a recipe on Tesco's website
realfood.tesco.com/recipes/nut-free-marzipan.html

Reallybadidea · 02/11/2019 19:05

@LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD I think he's gone back to Australia and is doing baking stuff out there. I would have loved to do class with him. Was it good?

Thewindsofchange · 02/11/2019 19:10

I was a late starter to baking my own Christmas cake. I used the Sainsbury's 5 ingredients Christmas cake. So easy and turns out perfectly. The only difficulty is working out when to take it out of the oven as it cooked a lot quicker, although that could be my oven.

recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/desserts/five-ingredient-christmas-cake

SpringFan · 02/11/2019 19:17

well campion , my mum is no longer with us, but she was definately one for cheddar with Christmas cake but she would not have Lancashire in the house. As far as I recall, all 8 of her siblings ate it with cheddar. I wonder whether Wensleydale was less easy to get during WW2 when they were kids so they never got the Wensleydale habit. ( Mind you, as 50% tyke I need to whisper that I don't like Wensleydale Shock )