Christmas cake

I have made Delia’s recipe every year but use dark rum instead of brandy. I have made a 5 inch square cake this year. Elder son and his partner don’t eat anything with dried fruit so they get a chocolate log. They don’t eat Christmas pudding either, so I make them one or two ice creams. I have quite a selection of square cake tins. I got bored with round cakes! So, rather than an 8 inch round sandwich cake say, I make a seven inch square sandwich cake. I bought square plates too!

LOUISA1523

Must cost a fortune to make a Christmas cake these day?

Strangely, although I enjoy baking, I've never made my own xmas cake before, but I did a rough costing of how much it would be, and it came to more than £20. I think I'll stick to the one I usually buy from Aldi, which is lovely, and just over £5 if I remember rightly.

Yes, LOUISA1523 very expensive... and more so if you make your own almond paste.

Mine will come from M&S as usually and DD will feed it with brandy every week till just before Christmas when she and DGD will marzipan and ice it.

I made one for the first time last year, with some advice from those here on Gransnet. I just did a half recipe because I am the only one that likes it, and I admit, it turned out very nicely! A loaf pan was just the right size.

No marzipan or icing, just the fruitcake. It had about 1/2 oz of dark rum added weekly, and it was just right.

Yes, making your own cake is not a cheap option. However, you know exactly what has gone into it, and the taste (by and large) will be better than some bought ones.
The thing is, that if you do any baking and cooking at home anyway, then you are already likely to have many of the necessary ingredients already in your store cupboard and others can be bought over a period of time to help spread the cost (I’m thinking of the fruit, spices and possibly alcohol if you put any in your cake).
I know there is the cost of fuel to factor in, too, but it is just an occasional treat.

notgran

I never buy or make Christmas Cake. I am the only one in the Family that likes/loves it. Consequently previous years I have actually, between Christmas and the first week of January eaten an entire cake, so now don't have it in the house. I occasionally will buy a slice to eat with a coffee in a cafe but try to avoid it. It's like a drug!

I am the same. I made a 6" cake for me last year and it kept calling me. I love my hm christmas cake, the taste, the smell, the goodness in it but no matter how I resolve, I cannot spread the eating over winter. Sadly no cake in my house this year

I need to avoid these cake threads too, my resolve almost shattered when I realised that I could make one from my stores today. I won`t, definitely I won`t

Could I use mead to feed my cake? we have some in which we dont really like as a drink. Thoughts please?

A few years ago I discovered Lydll sell a mixture of dried fruit in brandy. Using my usual recipe I substituted the main bulk of the various fruit required with an equal weight the brandied fruit. I then added extra sultanas as they are far more succulent than currants plus almonds,whole peel if I can get it, plus the usual extras. Plus a lot of brandy. Feed it as the weeks go by and it is lovely.

I don’t bake now, but my mother’s boiled fruit cake recipe took some beating.
Nothing could be moister.

Hollystears I use a boiled fruit cake recipe. So quick and easy.

NotSpaghetti

Yes, LOUISA1523 very expensive... and more so if you make your own almond paste.

I’ve made two every year for donkeys years, one for us and one for friends.Not this year though, as add the price of ingredients and electricity , baking for 3. -4 hours and it’s not worth doing.It will be an M&S one or Tesco.