Delia Christmas Cake help...

[BaconAndAvocado]

In the ingredients list it states, 225g soft brown sugar.....is that light or dark soft brown sugar...or doesn’t it matter?

It doesn't matter! I have used both. I prefer dark for the colour but either is fine. I also add the whole tub of glacé cherries and keep them whole and also whole almonds.

Also, her oven timings... way way too long. 2.5-3 hours max. And that's fan oven in 2 houses and 12 christmases!

Hope you love it. I've tried a few and this is the best I've made!

Lol, DH made our cake to Delia’s recipe this afternoon. Our view is that the 3 tbsps brandy is v measly!

I do just use the 3tbsp of brandy to soak the fruit - but then I pour a lot more brandy into the cake, before it gets marzipan and icing.

I forgot this! Half a bottle went into our fruit (rum not brandy)

I have made Delia's cake for decades. Which sugar doesn't matter, I've used both and occasionally a mixture of both if using up the ends of packets.

I soak the fruit in Earl Grey tea rather than brandy - top tip from a friend and the fruit is plumper and juicier. I then feed it with brandy. (regular tea would be fine too).

Agree that her cooking time is too long for a fan oven, and i always cover the top with brown paper halfway through.

Yes agree either sugar is fine, whichever you have to hand.

I find the baking time ok BUT not on the bottom shelf - I had an undercooked disaster one year in a gas oven.

It’s a good recipe but it’s a mare to chop the almonds. Gonna start buying them chopped I think.

Thanks 💐
Good tips re the paper on top and baking in the bottom shelf….which would explain my slightly burnt efforts in my fan oven!

I’m going for dark brown. My meno-brain means I can’t remember which sugar I’ve used for the past 20 years 🙄

That reminds me I have a well fed 7 year old Delia cake in the cupboard, I wonder what it will be like ?

Aghhh, I wish I had known about the cooking time. I made my Delia cake yesterday and baked it for just under 4 hours but well wrapped up with brown paper on the top and sides. Will it be dry? 🙈. Baked in electric oven at 140.

I've just added loads of brandy and wrapped it up well.

Oh and used light brown sugar as that's what I had in!

Isabelle70
7 years old?!?!
Are you sure it will be edible?
Please send an update!

It’ll be fine. If it’s the full size I usually bake for 3.5-4 hours tbh.

@clary Thank you 🙏

@BaconAndAvocado just checked and it doesn't look very good now :( it's from 2017.
Right, better get baking a fresh cake this weekend!!

I need to get my fruit soaking soon - I usually make my cake in mid-December, so it will have a few weeks to soak.

One thing I've found with Delia's recipes is that her marzipan (she calls it almond icing) recipe needs a lot more ground almonds than she says. And last year I decided not to bother with whisking the eggs and sugar over boiling water for ages, and just whisked it well, then stirred in the rest of the ingredients, and you couldn't tell the difference.

Isabelle70 RIP your Christmas cake of yore....

Got my ingredients, going to soak dried fruit overnight on Friday in.....amaretto!
Have always used this and had always gone down a storm!