Christmas cake recipe

[Someaddedsugar]

After speaking to a colleague about her Christmas cake plans I’ve decided to attempt my own this year. Do any of you wonderful Christmas lovers have a recipe you’d recommend for an ok baker?

Darina Allen here. Until this year when I did the 4 ingredients slow cooker one (modified to be gf, df ) and was really pleased.

Wait the recipe I use IIRC has almonds, icing sugar and caster sugar .
I mix it on a low speed with a stand mixer so it doesn't get overworked .

It's then a case of tasting it , adding more lemon juice and Amarretto so it doesn't taste too eggy , then more almonds if it's too sticky ,
Wrap and chill to firm up .

I use the Delia recipe but caster sugar , sultanas , Amaretto , loads od cherries , mixed nuts (almond,macadamia,brazil,pecan , walnut) grated lemon and orange rind not candied peel
It's a lighter cake which is nice .

Perfectly timed thread. I've decided to make my own this year for the first time
It is only me and my mum who like Christmas cake though so I'll have to make a small one.

I normally do Nigellas from her Christmas book or Mary Berry but I use Ameretto instead if brandy.
Any recipe of Delia's will work perfectly but I think she's an arse so try not to use them (I really only make myself suffer here as she wouldn't care).
I've never made a bad cake from a Pam Corbin recipe and the River Cottage cake book is my go to, so I will try that one this year.

Delia's. All day, every day.

I’ve use this recipe for nearly 20 years.
You can’t really go wrong ….

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simmer-stir-christmas-cake

For a traditional rich fruit cake, I use a good housekeeping recipe that tells you the quantities for cakes from about 6" up to 12" round and square. For something a little different I use Delia's Creole Christmas cake recipe. Both are delicious. And yes to homemade marzipan. No artificial colours mean it is quite pale, more so if you only use egg white rather than the whole egg. Overworking brings out the almond oil though, so be careful, especially if using royal icing as the oil will stain it.

I'm liking the look of that simmer and stir cake @FlyingScott, especially as I definitely want my Christmas cake to have nuts in it.

@Someaddedsugar let me know what you decide!

The rich fruit cake recipe in this old M&S Cake Icing & Decorating book:

www.amazon.co.uk/icing-decorating-Michael-cookery-library/dp/0904230643?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

It might be the one @Erictheavocado mentioned up thread, as I believe it's a GH recipe.

I always miss out the peel and increase the cherries. I can't remember if it mentions mixed spice, but I stick to nutmeg only. Oh, and I might increase the brandy/rum/whisky (whichever I've got most of) a bit too. Apart from that I follow the recipe, honest!

Works great as wedding cake too (well it would if anyone had proper fruit cake for their wedding these days) as it gives quantities for various sizes to ensure they all end up the same depth.

And despite the blurb, it's just as nice eaten fresh with only minimal dousing with additional liquor

I do delias and make it in september and feed it too. I like doing nigel slaters cake but do that in December...very different to a traditional xmas cake but lovely too

Delia Smith’s Classic Christmas Cake

@OliveHenry I had proper fruit cake for my wedding! And kept some for my first child’s christening. I’m only 35 but I think I’m a dying breed when it comes to wedding cake!

I’ve done Delia for years and she’s never let me down. I also make it in September and feed for months. Might have to rethink feeding this year because I’m expecting and my cake normally has about half a shot of brandy per wedge.

I don't actually like Christmas cake usually (sorry), but Nigella has a chocolate fruitcake that I make instead - it has cocoa powder, Tia Maria and orange zest so not very traditional but it is yummy.

www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-fruit-cake

I scoffed most of it last year!

I second James Martin make and mature

I used to use Delia's recipe but find this one easier and more moist.

I’ve decided I’m going for Nigella @Poppins17 with traditional marzipan and icing (shop bought 😳). And I’ll be using DS’ Schleich collection to decorate!

If anyone wants to share photos of their cakes this year I would love to see them!

I changed recipe last year and tried Annie bell's. It was nice but I think I'm going to go back to Nigella this year too. Have tried making marzipan before and totally failed so I think I will stick with shop bought too.

Roll on September when the kids go back to school and I can think about stuff like Christmas cake!

I can’t eat marzipan (nut allergy) so last year rolled out some yellow fondant and covered my cake with that before icing it. Worked a treat!

@doodlejump1980
You can make a pretty good fake marzipan by using semolina instead of ground almonds. There are a lot of almond flavourings around, which have never been within a hundred miles of an actual almond.

@Sagaris

Jane Asher's Last Minute Christmas Cake. It's never let me down, you can make it as early or late as you like. Early - you can feed it with more alcohol, or make it closer to Christmas. Best recipe I've ever used.

^ I wholeheartedly agree with this! Jane Asher's recipe is so good. And I always receive lots of compliments from anyone who samples it. I have tried many recipes over the years and this, for me, is the best. I always make it fairly late on so thanks for the tip Sagaris about being able to feed it earlier on. Did you discover that yourself out of interest or is that mentioned in your recipe? The reason I ask is that my recipe is very faded and barely legible now so I've copied it out.

One of my favorite cakes :)
topfood.club/en/reczeptyi/novogodnie-reczeptyi/holiday-desserts/christmas-tree-cake.html

ZOMBIE!

@bilbodog

ZOMBIE!

What are you meean?