Christmas Cake Recipes

[The Gauge]

I suppose it'll soon be approaching the time of year when folk start making their Christmas cakes.
Anyone got a good recipe they can share please?

[nikaiyo2]

I always use

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/chri...

[Huntsman]

nikaiyo2 said:

I always use

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/chri...

Always.

[normalbloke]

Delia’s creole Crimbo cake is the one we’ve used forever. We ramp it up a bit, and feed the cake with even more alcohol for ages before icing it. It’s epic.

[The Gauge]

What s your method for feeding? Syringe, spooning over? Rum, brandy?

Also, how far in advance do you all make your cakes? I understand they keep for ages?

Edited by The Gauge on Saturday 3rd October 09:14

[Huntsman]

The Gauge said:

What s your method for feeding? Syringe, spooning over? Rum, brandy?

Also, how far in advance do you all make your cakes? I understand they keep for ages?

Edited by The Gauge on Saturday 3rd October 09:14

Skewer holes in it, spoon brandy on.

Now a good time.

[normalbloke]

The Gauge said:

What s your method for feeding? Syringe, spooning over? Rum, brandy?

Also, how far in advance do you all make your cakes? I understand they keep for ages?

Edited by The Gauge on Saturday 3rd October 09:14

I think we make the mix and let it steep for a couple of weeks, then, when baked, it probably gets fed for 3-4 weeks. Usually rum, usually with a spoon from the bottle, which occasionally slips..

[The Gauge]

Thanks, so do you leave your cake mixture for a while before baking, is that covered on the kitchen side or fridge?

[normalbloke]

The Gauge said:

Thanks, so do you leave your cake mixture for a while before baking, is that covered on the kitchen side or fridge?

For the Creole cake, the mix sits in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

[knotweed]

I made mine a couple of weeks ago. It's the Bero recipe out of the little book they do, but I add a bit of treacle in place of some of the sugar and I don't put currants in it. The fruit was soaked in Madeira for a week and the cake will be fed with brandy every 2-3 weeks.

[adsk]

Another Delia recipe fan here...have been using it for 30+ years. What's great about the recipe, is that instructions are provided for different sized cakes/tins/shapes of tins here. https://www.deliaonline.com/information-centre/sca...

[Baldy881]

nikaiyo2 said:

I always use

https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/occasions/chri...

Question. Me and the missus made a start on this one over the weekend, having never made a christmas cake between us before.

Recipe says to bake at 4hrs at 140, which we did. We unwrapped it (cooled) this morning and the missus is convinced it's overcooked and burnt. I'm more hopeful that time and some feeding over the next few weeks will give it some softness and moisture.

So, for those that use this recipe, should we have dialled back the temp for a fan assisted oven? If it has come out seeming a little dry, is there any way to resurrect it or are we flogging a dead horse and need to go again?

Thanks!

[Huntsman]

Baldy881 said:

Question. Me and the missus made a start on this one over the weekend, having never made a christmas cake between us before.

Recipe says to bake at 4hrs at 140, which we did. We unwrapped it (cooled) this morning and the missus is convinced it's overcooked and burnt. I'm more hopeful that time and some feeding over the next few weeks will give it some softness and moisture.

So, for those that use this recipe, should we have dialled back the temp for a fan assisted oven? If it has come out seeming a little dry, is there any way to resurrect it or are we flogging a dead horse and need to go again?

Thanks!

I'm inclined to say keep feeding it, it'll be fine.

[sherman]

Huntsman said:

Baldy881 said:

Question. Me and the missus made a start on this one over the weekend, having never made a christmas cake between us before.

Recipe says to bake at 4hrs at 140, which we did. We unwrapped it (cooled) this morning and the missus is convinced it's overcooked and burnt. I'm more hopeful that time and some feeding over the next few weeks will give it some softness and moisture.

So, for those that use this recipe, should we have dialled back the temp for a fan assisted oven? If it has come out seeming a little dry, is there any way to resurrect it or are we flogging a dead horse and need to go again?

Thanks!

I'm inclined to say keep feeding it, it'll be fine.

I would feed it.
You can always trim the worst burnt bits off before you marizipzn it.

My wife covers her cake with a cardbord lid after 2-3 hours once the cake has a crust and it comes out looking ok.

Icing can hide many sins

[Baldy881]

Thanks both, I'm hopeful! So, if I feed it say tonight (do you feed both sides - top & bottom?) and then every week, and just keep it wrapped and sealed? We've already stuck a cocktail stick through in numerous places on both sides...

[sherman]

Baldy881 said:

Thanks both, I'm hopeful! So, if I feed it say tonight (do you feed both sides - top & bottom?) and then every week, and just keep it wrapped and sealed? We've already stuck a cocktail stick through in numerous places on both sides...

Feed top this week.
Wrap it up a leave for 2 week
Unwrap
Flip the cake
Pierce the bottom of the cake
Feed the bottom only
Wrap back up leave for 2 weeks
Unwrap
Flip the cake
Pierce the top only and feed
Leave for 2 weeks
etc

Repeat until week before christmas and then unwrap and marzipan.

Then a few days later cover in royal icing so its dry for christmas day.

[geeks]

My personal recipe that I spent years perfecting and now use every year.

150ml of Brandy
1kg of fruit (I use currents, raisins, dried chopped apricots, dried (not glacier) cherries and sultanas, you can just buy a bag of mixed fruit if you like)
2 tablespoon of treacle
1 tablespoon of golden syrup
250g of unsalted butter
250g of dark brown muscovado sugar
1tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of ground ginger
1 1/2tsp of mixed spice
1tsp of lemon extract
1tsp of orange extract
1tsp of vanilla extract
pinch of salt
4 eggs
275g of flour

Add brandy, butter, sugar, treacle, extracts and spices into a large saucepan and put over a very low heat and stir, we're talking super low, just enough heat to combine the ingredients and melt the butter, if you are worried, take it on and off the heat regularly. Once the butter has melted and the ingredients are mixed add the fruit and stir thoroughly turn the heat off, cover with a lid and set to one side to soak, stirring regularly.

After about 30 minutes check the temperature, anything warmer than room temp is too warm and leave it another 10 minutes. Once cooled, turn out into a large mixing bowl and preheat an oven to 140c

Whisk eggs and stir through a bit at a time

Add the flour through a sieve about 1/4 at a time and fold in using a wooden spoon. Once fully combined turn into cake tin and cook in the middle of the oven for 3-4 hours until a skewer comes out clean.

Allow to cool, poke many holes in it with a skewer and spoon over some brandy. Wrap in grease proof paper and then cling film. Feed every other week alternating between the top and the bottom (fnarr fnarr).

Leave it two weeks after its last feed before decorating, personally prefer marzipan and royal icing (stick the marzipan on with some apricot jam or marmalade warmed up a little to make a sticky glaze for the marzipan to hold) however last year we had someone with a nut allergy in over Christmas so I skipped the marzipan and cant say I missed it

[TheHeadhunter]

I use a generational family recipe, passed down my mother's (Methodist) maternal line.

We make the cake at least 9 months ahead of time, seal it, and don't open it until Christmas Eve.

I'll dig out the recipe, but the secret to the taste and moisture is that you soak the dried fruit in 'some alcohol' for 3-4 days before making the cake. My cake's fruit usually consumes 3/4 of a bottle our bourbon before baking. The moist fruit then keeps the cake beautifully moist.