Has everyone already made their Christmas cake?

Just tried to post with photo but it disappeared! Probably turn up on some inappropriate thread! I made mine a few weeks ago to get it out of the way. It’s the same recipe my mum used for my 21st cake and the top two tiers of my wedding cake. An M&S cookery book from the 1970s. Soaked the dried fruit in sloe gin liqueur overnight. Added more whisky to the mix and poured more over while it was still warm. Smelt lovely!

I haven’t made mine yet but I have been buying ingredients, I make the Delia one from her Christmas book - I’ve also tried the Creole one and the last minute one, all delicious 😋
I used to marzipan and ice it but last year decided to just put pecans and glacé cherries on top (less sugar/calories…🙄) and we enjoyed it just as much.
Can’t wait for the lovely Christmassy aromas while it bakes 🎅🎄

Never made one. Don't buy any. Far too many calories. Family hate what they made of... All the best with yours

I've ordered a small iced fruit cake from Ringtons ,much easier. I hate all the fuss about Christmas traditions. It's only me and my husband this year and he doesn't like cake much. If you want to make one Ringtons sell a Christmas cake mix.

Just made my mincemeat cake, much lighter than Christmas cake and lovely with cheese!!

I’ve seen a 3-ingredient one on Instagram that I’m going to make a couple of days before. An Irish cream-like drink, dried mixed fruit and flour. I hope it lives up to expectations!

Nope , no longer make one. Apart from DH and I nobody likes it these days. I make a chocolate roulade and a torte which disappear too damn quickly !
Making Christmas Chutney this afternoon which is a firm family favourite so worth the effort .

I have literally just taken mine from the oven. I usually do it a bit earlier, in half term. I’ve made one every year since 1966 when we made them at school, following the recipe given to us. Later I used Delia’s and was very pleased with it, though even that has been altered through the years to cater for differing tastes. At school we also had to make the marzipan and the icing from scratch, but now I’m afraid both are bought ready made!

Would you share the recipe by any chance? Sounds beautiful

When our two daughters visit, we order a strawberry shortcake and a black out layer cake ..

The grandkids dig in !

I do like a lovely strawberry shortcake.

I am allergic to milk chocolate so I avoid ..

However, I am a true fan of 1880 Turron Nugget !!

On a personal note: I am not very fond of sweets. I prefer an international cheeseboard with a wide variety of international cracker breads.

Hubs has a sweet tooth !

If I were to select a pastry, I would go with Stollen or Apple Strudel.

As a teacher the only time I ever had to make the Christmas cake was in the October half term, and now I’m retired that is still what I do today. I find myself making more cakes than ever as although we are lucky to have a family Christmas, both adult son and daughter & families want to have cake for after Christmas in their own homes and DH loves Christmas cake, so I make us a large one that, if we’re not too greedy’ lasts us until Easter!

Just made The Hebridean Baker’s Cherry Christmas cake and it is so nice , doubled recipe and got 2 large and one small delicious 😋

I’ll make mine in the next week or so. I cheat now, with a waitrose kit and it’s perfectly good. At least…it all gets eaten!

HAven't made one since the 1960s/70s! I quite like them - particularly the marzipan... but after a huge dinner/lunch nobody is very hungry and if anyone yearns for more food it's usually towards more savoury snacks and the cake rarely got eaten til weeks after Christmas and then reluctantly to 'use up'!

Made mine last week. Have tried my own recipe this year so fingers crossed it will be ok. It's wrapped in greaseproof in the pantry and I will be feeding it with Chambourd for a change from my usual rum. I'll let you know.

I've just put the fruit on to soak for a few days in a mixture of sherry and brandy.

Always put brandy in my homemade marzipan.

I love to lick the bowl....Tesco has brandy flavoured marzipan, I'd never heard of it before, I've ordered some to try. will make a loaf sized cake .

Maggiemaybe

I’m another marzipan scoffer. It doesn’t really help if I make my own, as I like that even more.

Does anyone else prefer the raw cake mix (any cake) to the actual finished article? I always make sure there’s plenty left round the bowl to scrape out.

I used to but Edwina Curry put me off 😲

Maggiemaybe you bought back memories my late dad always made the Christmas cake and I was the one allowed to to scrape the bowl never ate the cake just the raw mix.

Made a 9inch one a couple of weeks ago. Half a bottle of brandy in it and covered in almonds. Dh doesn’t care for marzipan and icing. Always used to decorate it when the family were younger. However,until a couple of years ago I used to also make a white Christmas cake which was very popular and that was marzipanned and covered in brandy butter icing. I used tomake that nearer Christmas and ice it a couple of days before. Friend gave me the recipe years ago and then saw it in Paul Hollywood’s book on baking. It’s packed with pineapple,glacecherries, walnuts, angelica, whole peel cut up etc .

I’m another marzipan scoffer. It doesn’t really help if I make my own, as I like that even more.

Does anyone else prefer the raw cake mix (any cake) to the actual finished article? I always make sure there’s plenty left round the bowl to scrape out.

Allira

^tbh I just love marzipan and scoff it as I roll it out.^

Me too, well someone has to eat the scraps. 😀

🤣🤣 me too back in the day when I made a cake. In fact I ended up having to make my own marzipan because I would eat the ready made before I had a chance to put it on the cake.

I make the Mary Berry white Christmas cake and it doesn’t keep so I make it days before Christmas. No alcohol.