Can anyone recommend a christmas cake recipe that works if you don't feed it??

[RememberToPlaywiththeKids]

I'm happy to put a bit of booze in it but I'm pregnant so can't be throwing in a weekly brandy slosh between now and Christmas.

Help!!

i thought most of the alcohol evaporated anyway?
i feed my kids tons of the stuff"!

why on earth can't you! feed the cake - poor thing!

IME if you soak the fruit in alcohol for 24 hours prior to cooking, you don't need to feed the cake.

I split the fruit into 3, and use 3 bowls - with cherry brandy, brandy and orange juice.

Agreed with tearinghairout. Also don't dry the fruit too much before putting it in. Just stick it in a colander for a bit.

I didn't feed mine last year due to toddlers eating it, and it was still lovely. I do still soak the fruit in plenty of brandy before baking.

I've just seen a recipe where you feed the cake with cold tea. Same effect.

But why can't a pregnant woman handle brandy rememberto?

oh I can handle brandy alright! I'm just a christmas cake monster and would love a glass of boozy woozy too and don't want to eat my booze quota or overdo it without realising.

If I do go down the 'just a good soak beforehand' route - how close to christmas do I make the cake?

I'm pretty sure you can use orange juice to feed the cake...well thats what delia recommended but after her 4 hour cake baking marathon has left me with a lump of charcoal I'm not too sure about the oj!!!

Last year I was pregnant and due the week before Christmas. I made my cake in early November and put it under the stairs with the intention of feeding it every week and in my pregnancy haze just forgot all about it!

We found it mid-January and it was fine and very moist - it was ideal for scoffing during marathon feeds with copious cups of tea

It was the Nigel Slater one and I'd soaked the dried fruit beforehand as tearinghairout describes.

Delia's creole christmas cake doesn't need feeding, mainly because it is chock-full of booze before you bake it.

I'd assume the alcohol is all cooked out so it ends up non-alcoholic.

ah - can you marzipan and ice the creole cake??

Good to know cake can survive without feeding and still be edible!