Delia Smith's Christmas Cake!!

[BlueGuinefort]

Aaaargh! It said don't even look until 4 hours. I took it out after 2 and a half bloody arsing hours and the bastard thing is burnt to a crisp.

Is she utterly mad? Four hours!?!!!

DH is currently carving off the burnt bits and insisting that all will be well...

The one thing that woman can't do is bake! She probably has an Aga that takes nine hours to roast a new potato.

Don't worry. Cut off burned top, turn it upside down and douse it in liquor. Once it's iced you'll love it.

I had to put a baking parchment top on mine last year, to prevent the burning

A colleague of mine has a warrant out for a Citizen's Execution of Delia because she followed this recipe for a relative's wedding cake - with the same results.

Nothing less than a prime-time apology broadcast from Delia will do.

Oh no I've bookmarked her recipe for my Christmas cake!! Not sure what to do now.

It works fine if the whole thing is packaged up in paper, twice round.

I made 3 last year, so yummy I need to make 4 this year. I do agree it needs more wetness in it, I added more booze.

I use her recipe every year - with the double layer of greaseproof paper on top (and steam hole cut) and brown paper wrapped around the tin. It's lovely and I always worry it is not cooked through!

Did you make allowances for a fan oven temp?

I did the paper thing Nutella - round the sides and over the top.

I don't even like bloody christmas cake. Seeing as its for him, DH has chipped off the charcoal and declared it a success.

Frilly - you could do as Catsmamma suggests and add more booze (I did) and then bake for a fraction of the time? Not sure...

Sod it. I think I'll just buy one. All that fruit and alcohol is expensive!

This is my fourth year of making Delia's cake and I've never had such a disaster. Perhaps because I don't have a fancy fan oven or anything, just a rubbish cheap one. Do you have a fan oven?

I never wrap in paper, only put the double layer of greaseproof on top...

I wrapped ours in brown paper, with the double layer of greaseproof paper on top, and took it out after 3.5 hours and it was just right.. We always add lots of alcohol to it every couple of weeks, and it ends up being really moist by Christmas.

That recipe is notorious for this problem. She wrote it in the 70s when (apparently) ovens were less efficient. I tinker each year, and last year wasn't too bad - no brown paper (because I had none), temp reduced by 50 degrees and cooking time reduced by a half.

I have been making it for years and the only year I had a disaster was when the thermostat had failed on my oven! I have a gas oven though - have never been able to make cakes well in an electric one (there was one in our house when we first moved in, soon changed it for a gas one). I do wrap the brown paper round and use the greaseproof on top though.

Ah, I also have a 17 year old oven, so maybe that's why mine works well.

Sounds like it might be the same one I did a few years ago. I checked it really early and it was already quite caramelised, too.

I soak my fruit 'n' stuff overnight in enough brany to completely cover it, none of this 'three tablespoons' shit for me, then douse it regularly and generously. The only time I burnt one to buggery was the second time I made it and cooked it at the farenheit temperature but on celsius I was 8 months pregnant at the time, in my defence.

I'm looking online but can't find any info about a fan-assisted oven - does anyone have the book handy? Have just moved to a place with a fan-ass oven, much to my hatred as it's burning everything, I have visions of ds' first real Christmas being ruined by Mummy crying over burnt cake!

Mine usually takes longer than the recommended time in Ye Olde Gasse Oven...... I guess Delia originally used a gas oven or old-fashioned electric, so maybe people with more modern ovens need to reduce either the temperature or the cooking time to get the best result.

I also agree the amount of brandy for soaking is a bit on the stingy side - I usually tip more in!

I'm doing the Pink Whisk xmas cake recipe this year - didn't get on with Delia's when I tried it....

I've made it loads of times - never had any problems. Have you checked the temperature of your oven? Ours is quite old and gas so maybe the newer electric fan ovens are a bit too fierce. Deffo needs more booze than she says, I agree there, and it needs to be well wrapped. What a shame for you, it's a really lovely cake!

The Mary Berry Christmas cake recipe is lovely

the stuff about old gas ovens makes sense
her recipe works perfectly for me, but everything else I cook in our knackered antique oven takes four times as long

I did the Waitrose one this year, a very similar recipe (more booze though), but it gives you permission to use a bag of mixed vine fruits - which saves having lots of part used bags of rasins etc. left over.

I had to take it quite a bit earlier than it said (and cover the top with foil for the last 30 mins), my oven always seems to take a bit less time.

vamosbebe Try reducing the temperature of your fan assisted oven by 20 deg C. Your baking shouldn't burn then...

Ooh, thank you *LoveMyBoots

Off to buy the ingredients today, very excited. I bake with two friends and we spend the afternoon together chopping fruit, nipping the brandy and talking bollocks!