Christmas cake

I plan to make mine next week.I have never soaked the fruit and have been making Christmas cakes successfully for about
55 years.?
Once wrapped and put in a tin, it gets taken out and fed with brandy every fortnight though.Yum.

Well done to those who make their own Christmas cake. I can’t bake for life or love. My sponge becomes a biscuit. Can you imagine what my Xmas cake would look like ! So, I shall stick to Tesco’s Own. Or Aldi’s. Was it last year they came out on top?

Yes. I have made mine from the same recipe I have used for the past 35 years. No soaking of fruit is required. Once cooled I poke holes in it and pour 3 tablespoons of brandy over it. It is then wrapped up and put in a sealed tin until a week before Christmas.

I used to make mine but don't bother now it's not worth the effort as know one eats it now. I won't buy one just for me that's just wasteful.

I made mine a couple of weeks ago and soaked the fruit overnight. It was unwrapped today and fed with brandy.

I made mine last weekend the fruit was soaked overnight. I don’t add alcohol but feed it with orange juice it’s always well received. This year I’m going to quarter it (it’s square) and then ice 2 with marzipan and 2 without and keep one myself and give the rest to my daughters and one GS who loves it.

Redhead56

I used to make mine but don't bother now it's not worth the effort as know one eats it now. I won't buy one just for me that's just wasteful.

I know what you mean, but if you enjoy Christmas cake don’t you buy yourself a mini one, even my local bakers make an individual cake. Or M&S Christmas cake slice. Go on spoil yourself,?.

I made my cake and pudding a few weeks ago. I usually soak the fruit for about 24 hrs although events intervened and the fruit for the pudding soaked for several days until I had time to make them!

I didn’t used to soak the fruit but now I do and I think it makes the cake more moist.

My dh doesn`t like christmas cake,so i don`t bother making one.
But years ago i made christmas cake and dundee cake which all of the family enjoyed.
Do i miss baking them ? nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Put mine in to soak today and it will get made during the week. Mine has often soaked for up to a week as my best intentions were not realized and time took over. I do find the longer it soaks the more moist the cake is. I also add additional brandy over the time it soaks, stirring it through daily. I use significantly more brandy than the recipe calls for.

Have used the same recipe for 50 years and never had a failure.

I think the reason that soaking dried fruit was recommended was because the fruit was indeed very dry, but these days the dried fruit is more more plump and much less desiccated.

So really no need to soak any more, but doesn’t matter if you do?

Made mine the other week and soaked overnight in Cointreau. Only alcohol I have and it works for me!

I use Delia’s Creole Christmas Cake recipe and soak the fruit for 7 days in Angostura bitters and whatever alcohol needs using up. And this thread has just reminded me that I need to crack on with it……

I will be making mine on Wednesday and probably just soak the fruit for 24 hrs.

Our was baked yesterday, fruit soaked overnight in a mix of brandy and orange juice. Will feed the cake with brandy when I remember .

Ours was made last week. I never add alcohol at all. We like to taste the fruit. I mixed it and then left it to allow the fruit to plump up overnight then baked.
I have been using the same method for 40 years and no complaints.

I always make the Christmas cake in August and have used the same recipe for over 40 years. I soak the fruit overnight in dark rum and feed it when I remember with more dark rum. The smell of the cake when we cut into it is delicious!

I stopped making them some time ago - very little got eaten (I’m not keen personally) so most of it would usually end up on the bird table.

Christmas pudding, though, that’s another matter! Which reminds me, I need to be making a couple soon. So much nicer than anything from a shop, and the smell when mixing up is super-Christmassy.

WWM2 is probably right. I use a Mary Berry Apricot and Brandy Christmas cake recipe which is not so rich as a traditional cake. The apricots being dried have to be soaked overnight in the brandy.

I used to make Christmas cakes to a Delia recipe. Once I priced up the cost and was shocked how expensive it was.
I’ve bought a Tesco Finest ever since. We aren’t that keen on it anyway but I buy one to offer to guests.
I would soak fruit for up to 3 days Canadiangran, but with brandy not rum.
I save dark Rum for making white dessert sauce to pour over Xmas pud.
Well done lemongrove - 55 years !! You deserve some sort of ? medal.

I’m just going to pot up the Christmas Chutney I’ve been making this morning.
Next week is the cake.
I made the pudding a couple of weeks ago.
There is a pot of mincemeat left over from last year?.

Thanks Tilly ?medal received and pinned on.?
I enjoy baking and also make one for family (AC) if they request one in time, and a chocolate Yule Log as well.
Nearer to Christmas will also make lots of mince pies, which never hang around for long ( Lord Lemongrove burns his mouth on them every year the second they leave the oven.)

Same here, Lemongrove - starting on 1st December I make masses which disappear very fast - mostly down dh’s gullet! I’ve made 6 x 1 lb jars of Delia’s mincemeat, but I’ll probably end up buying more.
That’s one reason I don’t start making them until 1st December, frightening to think of what we’d get through if I started any earlier!

I made mine a couple of weeks ago and soaked fruit in brandy overnight. I then feed it with brandy every few weeks. Its a Delia recipe that I've used for 40 years.