I've got a horrible christmas cake from marks and spencer. What can I do with it?

[ScreamingBeans]

If I started chucking brandy at it every day for 2 weeks, would that just be a waste of brandy or would it improve it? Currently it's sickly sweet and revolting.

Wondering if there's a dessert I can do with it (not icecream)

Any ideas?

I'm veering towards the bread and butter pudding idea, that sounds good.

The Nigella recipe still looks too sweet (you wouldn't believe how sweet this cake is, it's so horrible) and the JO one looks a bit of a faff. Also the rum might conflict with the cake.

But a simple bread pudding might be good.

Can't donate it because it's open.

I’d feel embarrassed taking a cake I’ve taken a few bites out of and asking for a refund. It’s not like it’s gone bad, the OP just doesn’t like it.

Ive used Christmas cake, christmas pudding, waffles, bagels, scotch pancakes, mince pies, stollen, all sorts of bready cakey products over the years. Its also very low effort. I cant really eat bread that much so only have a little of this but its gorgeous.

Bread pudding Im talking about, not bread and butter pudding

Eat it with Wensleydale cheese. Delicious!

The scots have a fruitcake called dumpling and my gran used to fry hers and have it with an egg it was delicious fry it for breakfast.op.

If you think there's something wrong with it or it's not as advertised/expected, take it back for a refund if you have the receipt. Supermarkets are usually pretty obliging to give refunds for disappointments and potentially "dodgy" foodstuffs. We took a Xmas cake back to Tesco last year as it was bland and tasteless despite being their "finest" range - no problem at all, quick and easy refund given.

Flood it with unsweetened home made thick warm custard!

The birds will appreciate it. Put it iut on your shed roof if you have one. It won't stay there long

Take it into work and leave in the office, tearoom, kitchen. Someone will eat it. Don’t waste more money adding stuff to it to try and make it taste better. Or just bin it, or donate to someone.

The OP says it's horrible. M&S's selling point is about high quality food and this doesn't meet that standard

Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it is below standard. I hate percy pigs i only found out after buying them doesn't mean i would take them back

But food is about personal taste!!! You cant say something isnt up to standard just because you dont like it

No harm in asking for a refund though. They can only say no. Personally, I've taken lots of things back for refund to various supermarkets that didn't taste/smell as expected, and never had a refund request refused. Maybe not as extreme as taking back a pack of percy pigs, but certainly taken back things like Xmas cakes/Xmas puddings, joints of meat, yoghurts/milk, cakes etc when they didn't taste as expected, or the meat was just fat/gristle, or the cakes were dry, or the yoghurts/milk were clearly "off" being dairy, etc.

The birds will love it!

Exactly! I’d feel too embarrassed returning it to describe the ‘fault’ as “didn’t like it”! It’s like you wouldn’t do that in a restaurant you’d just have to learn from your experience not to order it again!

Get some, butter, sugar eggs and flour, make your own cake adding fruit, cream or what takes your fancy, then substitute it.

It's an example of
the sunk cost fallacy to do otherwise.

That’s quite the list of returned items. They must know you well.

just drink the brandy then take the cake back to M&S for a refund.

I was going to say thos as long as it is still wrapped and in date but if the OP knows it's horrible she has probably already cut into it.

This what I do, they are like locusts in my office, everything vanishes

Treat your foxes. The M&S Xmas cakes are divine though, too rich for your palate?

The one we have too is revolting - we’re eating it with custard! Not much better!

A relative gave me a M&S Xmas pudding last year - it was a circular ring pudding with salted caramel sauce on top - looked horrendous and the ingredients list was worse.

We always make our pud anyway.

It went straight to the food bank. But I felt guilty for the recipients.

I added eggs and mascarpone and baked it and it was really nice!

It just took all that really terrible sweetness out so you had that lovely christmasy flavour without all the sugar.