Help! Urgent Christmas cake advice!

[BettyBooDoinTheDo]

For reasons that are too long-winded to explain, I'm in the middle of making a Christmas cake this evening... It will take at least four hours to cook!

Does anyone know if I could put the prepared cake mixture in the tin, leave it in a cool place and put it in the oven first thing tomorrow? It has plain flour and no raising agent (other than egg).

I'm at the dry ingredients stage, so could stop where I am, add the wet ingredients tomorrow morning and finish mixing it then. I'm trying to avoid that because I have to start work very early and I know I won't be very keen to be making cakes at 6am!

Anyone got a clue? TIA

Don’t add the wet ingredients, add them just before you pop it in to bake. A chemical reaction between the ingredients will start if you add the wet items in (I think).

Have been in a similar situation before (work related baker!) and just set my alarm and get up to take it out before going back to bed, and try to remember to not do it again!

Thank you, Snoodleberry! I thought there might be a chemical reaction with gluten or something. I'll mix it tomorrow. DP very kindly offered to get up in the middle of the night and take it out but it makes me feel twitchy having the oven on when we are all asleep. Plus we will miss the lovely smell of baking Christmas cake!

My go-to Christmas cake recipe specifically says it can be prepared and put in the tin, covered in clingfilm then baked the next day.

I've done it and it was fine