That time of year to start thinking about Christmas baking

[Jointhejoyrun75]

What is your best recipe for a Christmas cake? And do you have any other traditional 'bakes' that you make for Christmas?

Anyone?

Try using brandy it adds to the flavour and makes the dried fruit stick together and the rest of the cake moist

Made our cake at weekend! Lots of people on fb seemed to be starting as well.

Also not really baking but usually make these with kids closer to Christmas www.taste.com.au/recipes/21304/mini+christmas+puddings

I made 3 Christmas cakes at the start of September, I feed them with sherry throughout the months and start eating them in December.

*Imyourmama" which recipe do you use? That is an early start for baking them!

I made this Chocolate Mulled wine Bundt cake last year. It went down a storm and is a new favourite.

I love the Mary Berry Christmas Cake Bites. It is a tray bake, very easy and delicious. I have made it for a few parties and even people who say they don't like Christmas cake like these.

Christmas Cake Tray Bake

I make Delia's Classic Christmas cake, and titivate it a bit to my own taste. I bake it in the Holiday Tree Bundt tin. I butter and flour the inside well, and then cook on a low heat until it's done. It cooks quite quickly due to the shape of the tin, but comes out cleanly. I still feed the cake as usual and then I'll probably dot a few plastic reindeer on it and dust with icing sugar snow to serve. The slices come out a nice shape, triangular-ish.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2607642/make-and-mature-christmas-cake

This is my fave. Made it for the last five years, it's always moist and a success. I made it two weeks ago for this Christmas. I used raisins, cherries, cranberry, figs and prunes as fruit.

I'll feed it every two weeks with port.

I'll also make a batch of cranberry orange cookies for the big day, I'll link in a sec.

www.landolakes.com/recipe/17272/cranberry-orange-cookies/

Recipe here. American cup sizes, don't forget it use the orange sugar, makes a huge difference.

Warning : these are so addictive!
🎅

I use Delias recipe. Soak the fruit in plenty of brandy for a few days. It usually needs half an hour less than she says for me. Leave out nuts and candied fruit (bluegh) and use twice the number of cherries cut in half.
Then feed with a little brandy twice a week.

I'll find and post the recipe I use when I get home. What is well worth doing next year is - in about August - buy a bottle of brandy, slip in a cinnamon stick, half a dozen cloves, a star anise and a couple of oranges worth of orange peel. Get the peel as 'clean' as possible with no pith and toast/blowtorch it for a few seconds before putting it in. By the time you're ready to start feeding your cake you have lovely spiced orange brandy to do it with.

I'm making my christmas cake tomorrow. It is an old family celebration cake , rich fruit cake. I mixed puddings and steamed them Sunday/Monday.
I make this as a breakfast treat- I have no idea how many calories are in it, but wonderful
granola