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Christmas Cake

(59 Posts)
petallus Fri 14-Nov-14 11:24:36

I have decided to make a cake this year, using my grandmother's recipe.

The recipe does not mention alcohol. I have heard cakes should be made well in advance of Christmas.

My questions are:

How soon before Christmas should I make the cake?

If the cake does not include alcohol will it keep for as long?

Any other helpful tips would be appreciated.

rosequartz Sat 06-Dec-14 15:21:30

Is there another thread on Christmas cakes? I used the recipe that janerowena has put on here, but minus the nuts as DH doesn't like them in a Christmas cake.

Now to feed it again.

papaoscar Sat 06-Dec-14 21:26:25

Christmas cake. I really only like the marzipan and soft white icing, the cake usually is far too heavy and sweet. We tend to have a slice or two of lightly warmed Stollen cake from Lidl's with a small spoonful of clotted cream or creme fraiche. Marzipan is surely the food of the gods, maybe with just a touch of Nutella... Pull yourself together, man, and get back to peeling those spuds!

baubles Sat 06-Dec-14 21:45:17

Here you go crafting

www.gransnet.com/recipes/dish/5718-Christmas-cake-recipe

Crafting Sat 06-Dec-14 23:37:21

Thank you Baubles I will give it a try. tchsmile

granjura Sun 07-Dec-14 11:42:06

With grandson being severely allergic to eggs and nuts- I've finally found an eggless Christmas cake recipe- so will be making it this week. So hard to bake without eggs and nuts, especially at this time of year. Hope it is a success.

Soutra Sun 07-Dec-14 11:51:00

Decades ago my MIL then a young wife thought she might have a go at HER MIL's Christmas cake recipe.
She assembled her ingredients and then realised there was no mention of the quantity of flour so she consulted FIL.
I should add here that DH comes from a long line of men who never admit ignorance and will pronounce on any matter with self confidence and authority even if no experience or knowledge whatsoever. "if my mother doesn't mention flour then there isn't any" he said with assurance.
So MIL. took him at his word and produced a black sticky alcoholic fruity mess from the oven some hours later.
He still refused to admit any culpability when his mother explained that it should have been so obvious from the weight of the other ingredients that she hadn't thought it necessary to "state the obvious"!!!

Purpledaffodil Sun 07-Dec-14 13:30:50

Re nut allergies, my eldest son, now 37 has a severe nut allergy which was scary when he was a child as nobody seemed to regard it as real. He was even given a coconut biscuit at school! Had to tell them that the clue was in the name. He has lived abroad for the last seven years and has managed well, even learning the Thai for "Please make my meal with cow's milk, not coconut milk." I agree that nut allergies do seem far more common these days though.

Deedaa Sun 07-Dec-14 22:44:25

I have only ever used my MIL's recipe Soutra the only thing I've changed is I use butter rather than her choice of hard marg. (a hangover from rationing?) and she always told me to wrap it in layers and layers of the Daily Express so it didn't burn. After years of experimentation I have found that any newspaper is equally effective and if you are careful with the temperature you don't need to use any tchgrin