Christmas cake

[TPM]

Well it's not really a recipe as such but...

Who else makes theirs? I'm making one for the first time this year and was going to go with good old Delia but then found this recipe in a BBC food magazine (SIL bought me a subscription as a wedding anniversary present - how corney!). It involves mulling port and then steeping the fruit in it overnight before making the cake the following day. We love port so I thought it might be intersting. Just took the pan off the boil with the mulled port in it and took off the lid for a whiff and nearly blew my head off whoopy!! Smells goooooood!

Just wondered if any of you domestic goddesses had any tried and tested recipes? Bit late for me now but still... discuss...

[PerpetualMadness]

Do you have delia's Christmas book? If so the creole Christmas cake is delicious and involves port and several other varieties of booze. She says in the book that it's too rich for icing but we disagree and when she did her Xmas program last year she iced it...

[ToothFairy]

It involves mulling port and then steeping the fruit in it overnight before making the cake the following day. We love port so I thought it might be intersting. Just took the pan off the boil with the mulled port in it and took off the lid for a whiff and nearly blew my head off whoopy!! Smells goooooood!

I don't like Christmas cake (but I do make a mean chocolate yule log!) but I think I could be persuaded by this recipe!

[Louisianablue2000]

I think my Mum uses Delia's recipe, I use the Good Housekeeping recipe. Frankly you can't go that wrong with so much dried fruit, booze, sugar and fat. DD1 came home from Music with Mummy singing the following song so it's obviously time to be thinking about making the Xmas pudding as well:

(to be sung to the tune of Wind the Bobbin)
Stir the pudding up,
Stir the pudding up,
Mix, Mix, Chop, Chop, Chop.

Put in some sugar,
Put in some spice,
Lick the spoon, it does taste nice.

Put in some fruit,
Put in some peel,
A pudding for our Christmas meal.

Stir the pudding up,
Stir the pudding up,
Mix, Mix, Chop, Chop, Chop.

[ToothFairy]

My Mum made her puddings a couple of weeks ago. We went for Sunday lunch but she'd already put them in the basins. I was very disappointed not to be able to give them a stir and make a wish

[Woodsies]

I use Delia's rich fruit cake recipe, and also her recipe for Christmas puds.

I do amend Delia's recipe slightly though, in that I put more booze in the bowl when I am soaking the dried fruit overnight before making the cakes. I just didn't think the cake was moist enough without the extra bit of booze. Also, her recipe says to cook for 4 hours and not to open the oven, but I think my oven must be a bit "fast" so I cook mine for 3 hours, then take it out. It continues to cook for a while anyway even when out.

I have the Good Food magazine too and this month there's a recipe for a chocolate fruit cake - I'm a bit of a traditionalist and had already made mine anyway, but I may try a small one next year.

I made sloe gin as well tonight - hic!!

[realsLINshady]

I use my Grandmothers cake recipe handed down via my father. The Christmas cake was his one culinary production of the year - and the process was so stressful my mother would take us out for the day. Delicious cake though - I can post recipe to anyone interested.

[Louisianablue2000]

Also, her recipe says to cook for 4 hours and not to open the oven, but I think my oven must be a bit "fast" so I cook mine for 3 hours, then take it out. It continues to cook for a while anyway even when out.

Delia's book was written before fan ovens were invented and so reducing the temperature about 25C usually has the same effect. I've got a hot oven and I have to reduce the temperature and reduce the cooking time for most baking.

I put the cake tin on a folded up newspaper in the oven and wraps brown paper round the cake which is tied together at the top as well (creating a wigwam) to stop the outside of the cake burning before the inside is cooked.

I always feed the cake as well, so I stick a skewer in and pour three tbsp of brandy (or the spirit of your choice, whisky works well) once every 7-10 days for the month leading up to Xmas. Yum.

[salj1980]

I don't like Christmas cake (but I do make a mean chocolate yule log!)

I don't like christmas cake either but I love yule log and was going to make one this year...any chance you fancy sharing your recipe please?

[Fliblet]

This recipe for Christmas cake is absolutely delicious! And I'm not that big a fan of Christmas cake

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1160 ... .offset=60

[Fliblet]

I made sloe gin as well tonight - hic!!

Ooooh, jealous. I ADORE sloe gin - will just have to settle for buying some of the Farmers' Market instead though

[TPM]

I made sloe gin as well tonight - hic!!

Ooooh, jealous. I ADORE sloe gin - will just have to settle for buying some of the Farmers' Market instead though

I made mine a few weeks a go and am intending to give it as presents. I may change my mind about that though.

Toothfairy do you really want the recipe for the mulled port xmas cake? I can put it up no probs?

[ToothFairy]

Toothfairy do you really want the recipe for the mulled port xmas cake? I can put it up no probs?

Yes please, I need to impress the in-laws

Oh, and I'll post my yule log recipe tonight.

[TPM]

Ooh exciting! I would love to make the yule log!

Right then here goes;

The night before:

500ml full-bodied sweet port
1 mulled wine bag (or make your own)
1 medium orange
1 tsp whole cloves
200 g each sultanas, currants and raisins
250g bag ready to eat prunes, chopped
100g glace cherries, quartered
100g chopped mixed peel
The night before you bake the cake pour the port into a pan and drop in the mulled wine bag, a strip of orange rind (keep the orange for ne next day) and the cloves. Bring tot eh boil, then take off the head and allow the flavours to infuse for 15 minutes [this is where you lift the lid and take a massive whiff, singe your nostril hairs and keel over!]. Strain this into a bowl and then mix in the dried fruit etc. Cover with cling film and leave over night. [I gave it a stir in the morning as not all of the fruit was covered and then left it till the afternoon to soak a bit more before the next stage].

The day you bake:
200g soft butter
200g dark muscavado sugar
4 eggs beaten
250g plain flour
1tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice
good pinch ground cloves
thumb sized piece root ginger finely grated

Turn oven to fan 140c/conventional 160c. Grease and line a deep 20cm cake tin (double thickness on sides and bottom). Wrap the outside of the tin with a double layer of baking parchment and tie.
Beat the butter and the sugar until light and creamy, then gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour if the mixture starts to curdle [I had to add quite a bit to stop it curdling]. Finely grate the remaining orange rind and fold in with the rest of the ingredients and the soaked fruit. Discard [or drink but i's bloody sweet!] any excess port if your fruit hasn't absorbed it all. Spoon into the tin, smooth the surface with the back of a spoon and make a slight dip in the middle.

Bake the cake for 30 mins, then turn the oven down to fan 130c/conventional 150c and bake for a further 1.5 to 1.75 hours until dark golden brown and a skewer can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean. [I must say that i would maybe reccomend putting a couple sheets of parchment over the top or doing the wigwam like LB2K suggested. Mine came out too brown (Yes, yes - burnt!) on the top but that may have something to do with me having no idea what temp I cooked it at (bloomin aga)]. Any cracks that appear will close up as the cake cools. Leave to cool in the tin and then remove and keep well wrapped in an airtight container until you're ready to decorate.

As I say mine was burnt on the top but only a bit so I'm just going to slice it off before I marzipan and ice it and it will be fine. We also cut a thin edge off and it did taste good. DH assures me it will never notice once it's decorated!

[Morlyte]

I used to make Delia's which is nice but far toooo long-winded.

I know make Levi Roots West Indian Christmas Cake which is faster and MUCH nicer. Its very moist and soo, so gorgeous. Even my other half who isnt a huge christmas cake fan has requested it again this year.