What did I do wrong with my Christmas cake?

[Wafflesandcrepes]

First attempt at a Christmas cake. On the positive side, it tastes very good and it’s moist. But the texture looks all wrong and it falls apart when I try and cut it… See photo attached. Any help gratefully received.

What recipe did you use? Looks a little under cooked.

It’s a tried and tested recipe from my local refillery.https://www.wearegather.uk/product-page/christmas-cake-recipe-kit-non-vegan-option Any mistake is mine entirely.

Yes, that looks undercooked - how long was it in the oven for?

edited now you’ve added the recipe: 2 hours at 130 degrees isn’t really long enough: St Delia recommends a minimum of 4 hours at 140 degrees, with the cake wrapped in a couple of layers of brown paper.

Around two hours. And we checked for doneness with a skewer…

Another saying it looks undercooked to me.

Oh dear. I guess it’s too late to do anything about it now. I don’t understand how the skewer came out clean when I did the test…

How big is it? I usually make an 8x8" cake and it takes a good 3 hours. Skewers don't always tell you much with a fruitcake as there's not much actual cake batter in there. I know it sounds a bit mad but I listen to check when mine's done - it stops making wet bubbly sounds and starts making a sort of quiet humming noise.

Looks lovely though, if it tastes good just eat it with a spoon instead of in slices!

Makes sense about the skewer test. It’s a round cake made in a 20cm tin.

Heat it up again until hot all the way through and serve it with (lightly sweetened) custard, as a pudding. Include the brandy!

It Needs at least three hours. Perhaps more.

It looks very pale. I assume you cooked it close to Christmas? If you bake earlier (August/September), it will darken and get richer in flavour over time.