Christmas Cakes

Let DD make one with the pudding she always does .

DIL also makes one , so we are set like jellies in this house .[laugh]

I always go through loads of recipes, comparing ingredients, and then settle for the two I always make!

Can't imagine any cake lasting through the winter months in this house!

Wish I was that controlled.

I've used this recipe for a few years now. I prefer it to the 'lighter' ones, it reminds me of fruit cakes my great aunt used to make.

That sounds an interesting one. Wouldn't make a very big Xmas cake would it? (I'm tempted to make if for the weekend though!)

j05 I use a 9" springform tin & it has always been ok. Depends how big you want it

Does sound a good one. Think I will give it a go. (suppose I had better leave finished product for Xmas)

I use the same recipe that I've always used for 40 years (from an ancient "stork" cookery book) I've had to adjust it since I've lived in Italy as all the ingredients (especially black treacle) arn't available here. Plenty of brandy helps it though! Made it last week!!

Oh nonnasusie I'm so jealous of you living in Italy! At one time we had hoped to but my husband's illness means it will never happen and we will probably never even manage another holiday there. But back to the Christmas cake! I use the recipe I got from my MiL 40 odd years ago. Funnily enough she hates cooking and is a pretty awful cook, but her rich fruit cake is wonderful - bursting with fruit and always nice and moist. Hopefully I will be making it this weekend

jO5 There are usually only two of us eating three the three cakes so they do tend to last fairly well, especially since we tend to eat the portions along with cheese (the northern way?). nonnasusie our recipe was cut from a newspaper or magazine about 40 years ago too, but no black treacle in it

I normally use Delia Smith's recipe from her Christmas recipe book which I dig into every year and last year made some mini ones using Nigella's chocolate fruit cake recipe. They were lovely and moist and easy to decorate.

I use Good Housekeeping Cookery Book rich fruit cake, but I soak all the fruit and nuts in the brandy overnight. Just made two cakes today so the kitchen smells lovely. Spoiling eldest son and DIL as we are going to them for Christmas.
I weigh everything out the day before and line the tins so its not such a big job all at once ;)

Wish I was that organised MumMum. You should see my kitchen at the moment, Really must go and clear up. How does black treacle manage to get everywhere. And I wonder what it is that keeps sticking to the bottom of my slipper!

Kitchen smells lovely though.

My recipe doesn't use black treacle so my slippers are clean !! The floor isn't very clean though 'cos I'm a bit clumsy and we no longer have a dog......

I cannot even remember where my Christmas cake recipe comes from as I long ago copied it from the tatty bit of paper it was on to a piece of card.

My Christmas preparations started this week with making the mincemenat. This will be taken to DD at the weekend and she will make the mince pies. I will make the pudding next week and cake the week after.

DS who lives 'oop north' now has my cake recipe and he will be making - and eating most of it in his northern fastness and then coming south and eating a lot of mine as well.

LOL MumMum dogs are indeed useful creatures, although I remaining /current dog is too picky by half ;)

Our cake recipe has 1lb 6oz of fruit/peel in it which is pre-soaked for a week in a quarter of a pint of sherry.