Shop bought Christmas cake

[dottyaboutstripes]

Hi all! I'm trying to decide whether to bake my own cake - it would be a no brainer but only myself and my dd eat it (which is great because I love it, but also not so great because I eat LOADS of it 😋😆)
Anyway, I've tried shop bought ones but actually binned them because they weren't that great. Has anyone found one they love /would recommend?

They always do taste tests for these in Good Housekeeping magazine. Not sure which month they'll feature, but do keep your eye on it! They do mince pies, pigs in b, etc etc. Always very useful!

On that note, you could probably find the 2023 edition of the taste tests and use that as your guide.

Can't recommend any store bought ones as it's been a very long time. I think DH liked a little one we bought from Morrison's some years ago but I've no idea if they've changed the recipe by now.

If you decide you still want to bake your own, Delia has a helpful guide for scaling down cakes. Or you can make very small cakes (using baked bean tins).

I have a collection of the magazines but I guess I was hoping someone might have one they love - I reckon I'll just make one, home made is just always so much nicer anyway!

There is something about making it. The smells, the tradition. I think my lot would prefer I did not, but tough! (as is the cake)

Nothing is ever as good as a home baked one - just make a small one.

I highly recommend Delia's Creole Christmas cake.

Ohh @RaininSummer that's what we're making this year!

It's soo nice. I may be guilty of adding even more alcohol than in the recipe.

I’ve made them for the last two years. I used a mash up of Nigella and Mary Berry’s recipes.

I would just make one. Having too much honestly isn't a problem if you like it and a fruit cake wrapped in greaseproof and foil keeps forever if you put lods of booze in it (and why wouldn't you?).

DH has his all throughout January and sometimes into February too.

It depends if you like making one or not, if you do then if you make a small one it'll last months wrapped up in a tin.
Home made is usually nicer than any shop bought one if just depends if you can be bothered with the faff!

Betty’s are delicious but very expensive.

Everything else is a pale imitation of a homemade cake.

You could also do what I do when I do some batch baking - freeze some slices. (It slows down consumption, because you have to wait for it to defrost so it stops you (me) snarfing the entire cake in one go).

That worked for me until I realised slices can be defrosted in microwave very quickly.

I always make mine - it’s become a bit of a tradition and now I do them for family and friends too . Last year I had nine wrapped up and in Tupperware being fed with brandy from October ! I’ve had years where I bought cake , but in all honesty they weren’t the same . I make most of them full size , but last year I had one batch I divided into 2 , and baked in a loaf tin for my mum and aunt, who are both on their own, and for whom a whole cake was too much .

The M&S perfectly matured cake (smallish cake bar with iced top) is good, and far superior to their "normal " iced Christmas cake bar

They tend to sell out much faster than the normal one

I'm tempted by Bettys!

Treat yourself! You can always go back to baking your own if you want to.

My Gran bakes small ones for all of the family every year and they’re amazing. Just bake your own small one, it doesn’t have to be huge.

Last year I made a standard mix and baked it in lined baked bean tins. Then iced three of them (three of us eat it) and froze the rest to use later in the year. It was fiddly lining all the tins but a good way to get the right quantity of cake.

If you make little baked bean tin sized cakes it makes a lovely crafternoon activity - everyone can ice and decorate their own.

I make the big standard Good Food recipe each year. We're usually still going at it through January. Very tasty when fed with disaronno.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/make-mature-christmas-cake

One year I bought the cake slices (pack of 6 or something ) they were okay but nothing like proper cake . (IIRC Sainsbury)

For me its the marzipan, I make my own which is so much nicer .

This year I decided I'm not making one , only I eat it and it'll kick about being moved from one place to another .