Topic: Just made Christmas Cake & Pudding!

[RenishawPhil]

Made using Delia's tried and trusted recipe

Baked cake for 4 hours and steamed pudding for 8 hours, its just come out of the steamer!

[tomatoada]

I was just looking thro' her Christmas book and thought    no    far to early.

[RenishawPhil]

I was just looking thro' her Christmas book and thought    no    far to early.

Started doing it around now as i think they tast much better by christmas, esp the cake after months of feeding brandy etc!

They will not get wrapped up and stored in a dark cupboard

Hmmmm i love cake mix

[Jeannine]

I soak my fruit and sugar with the booze for  1 month before I make my cakes, just about there so will be baking in the next few days.

XX Jeannine

[RenishawPhil]

Do u find that makes a big difference?

[Jeannine]

Yes, without a doubt, the resulting cake is very moist, sweet, you can taste the flavour of the alchohol without it being harsh. ,  just the way we like it.

XX Jeannine

[Mrs Tweedy]

I usually make mine in February and feed it with booze through the year.

By Xmas it usually staggers onto your plate.

I use a good housekeeping recipe for the pudding. It has large chunks of nuts in it. Especially brazil nuts.

[Gordonmull]

Every christmas I've wished I thought about making cake but always too late!

Does anyone have a good recipe they'd be willing to share? (Nut free, though, father in law is allergic).

[RenishawPhil]

Gordon

Use deliaS without the almonds

[fitzsie]

I've always used Delias Carribean Xmas cake. Sounds similar to Jeanines where you soak the fruit in various quantities of alcohol for a few weeks before making the cake.  You then just throw in all the rest of the ingredients, mix then bake.  The cake always ends up so moist with very little effort!!

[Jeannine]

I personally am not a fan of Delia so I don't know her cake, it is her preserving methods that make me dubious, however. The Australian Womans Weekly  cook book magazine piuts out several excellent recipes using various types of booze from rum to Grand Marnier depending on your prefrence. The books are cheap and available in the UK, if you are interested I can look through mine and tell you which one to get..there are loads of them.

XX Jeannine

[Spireite]

I use my (very tatty) paperback Bero cook book...(which I also always use for pastry and scones), there is a rich celebration cake in there..which I vary depending on the time available...as I sometimes soak the fruit over night (WOW Jeannine - well done on a month)..sometimes I add grated chocolate, but then halve the candied peel and glace cherries as the Husband doesnt like them, and I substitute ground almonds for any nuts as I can't eat whole nuts.  ;D I've JUST offered to do my friends' wedding cake so they may want a taster layer so that will be next week's job.