Don't we normally have a Christmas Cake thread by now

[thefortbuilder]

Or have I missed it? I need the fantastic Christmas Cake recipe but as it's nearly cake making day (1 October).

anyone else getting ready?

I also do a variation on the Delia recipe throwing in what dried fruit I have in stock and marinating them for a week or so in strange liqueurs lurking in the back of the drinks cupboard. You can scale this recipe up and down to suit the size of cake you want.
I don't start mine until half term or later.

cmotdibbler, yeah please if it is really that easy! do you have to soak them in anything specific? or could it be cheapy stuff from lidl or netto?

I'd like to join you this year. I always used to do one but haven;t for several years. I need to make little ones. Can I bake them in a muffin tray?

I'd like to join you this year. I always used to do one but haven;t for several years. I need to make little ones. Can I bake them in a muffin tray?

Oh fantastic. Well done flick.

I'm in. Last year I soaked my fruit in whiskey for 2 months . It went down very well.

[goes to get fruit and vast quantities of scotch]

I'd like to try this too - will use UCM's recipe.

ooh might try whisky as well - we have a couple of bottles lurking! people keep giving it to us and we never drink the stuff.

i reckon muffin cases might be ok but you might need to use a couple of cases to reinforce! I'll ask MIL she does small ones

Thanks Flick. I could use bean tins I suppose but most of mine seem to have some sort of plastic coating on the inside and I'm not sure if I can put it in the oven

So, who is soaking already????

Me, i have started soaking, but then i make 4 large and 2 small christmas cakes each year.

I'm soaking now...
So is the plan to actually make it on the 1st October?

I have a question about the cake...
I would like to put some nuts in mine, although the recipe doesn't have nuts in. Do you think I should substitue some of the fruit for nuts or just add them in on top of the fruit mixture?

I've only just seen this thread and realised its that time of year again!

Here's my recipe:

soak the following in 200ml tea, 3 tbsp brandy and 3tbsp medium shred marmalade:

700g mixed fruit
100g mixed peel
100g glace cherries

Leave to soak for a few days.

The rest of the cake ingredients are:

225g butter
225g golden caster sugar
4 beaten eggs
225g plain flour
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp ground cinnamon
zest of 1 lemon

Beat butter and sugar together til fluffy then add eggs a little at a time. Fold in the flour and spices and finally the soaked fruit and lemon zest.

Put into lined baking tin with oven at gas mark 3 for 90 mins then turn down to gas mark 1 for another 90 mins.

Wrap and feed with a hot toddy mix of 50ml black tea, 1tbsp brandy and 2sp sugar.

Lovely!

re: the nuts: substitute some of the mixed fruit for nuts otherwise it might not all fit in your tin!

Keep intendingt do this but up til now have always been elsewhere for Christmas.

'Sadly' (hurrah!) will have to skip Dad's dry fat free version this year and will be using UCM's recipe. Can't bloody wait in fact.

A christening cake to do first mind!

I have my fruit soaking for a cake and for puddings. Will also be soaking some more fruit for another two cakes as pressies, once my mother has dug out some more booze for me!!!

Just wondered . . . probably a bit early for this one though. When do you ice the cake?

Never made an xmas cake before & am a bit stuck as to when things should be done so I can write them on my calendar so I don't forget.

I'll be doing mine at half term

First attempt this year

My Mum has a fantastic recipe, must get her to send it to me. She always adds extra glace cherries. Yum.

One question though - when it comes to feeding - do you literally just drizzle the brandy on? Doesn't it go soggy?

lucysmam - you can hold off icing the cake til about a week before xmas!

Tigerfeet - make a few holes with a skewer and pour a tsp into each once a week.

Well I used UCMs recipe and made mine on saturday (having soaked the fruit for a week)
It is the first time that I have ever made a christmas cake and it looks fab (am tempted to eat it and make another lol)

lucysmam

I tend to ice my cake a week before christmas and mazipan a week before i ice. As the mazipan needs to dry out a bit before you ice.

thanks MissisBoot & lizziemun, I couldn't make my mind up but that's ideal! I'll stick in my diary to marzipan 2 weeks before xmas & ice a week before then. & get some sparkly bits to decorate with from the market

Thanks Missisboot

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