Christmas cake, almost a disaster ?

I’m not sure if this is any help, but for recipes which ask for eggs to be added one at a time with a little flour, I always found the mix tended to split slightly by the third egg but kept going anyway. Now I beat all the eggs together first, and add a bit at a time, with a spoon of flour. It seems to split less and gives a lighter cake (for normal cakes anyway).

Thanks Farmor15 I’ll remember that tip, it’s just strange as I’ve never had a mix split in 50+ yrs of baking.

I don't think I've ever made a Christmas cake where it didn't curdle a bit on adding the eggs. If you had added the rest of the flour with spices and whizzed it a bit, it would have been fine. Yes, it is the "proper way" to whisk the eggs first and then add them a teeny bit at a time, but I, like Grannynorm, lose patience and finish up tipping it all in. You can't tell the difference in the finished product, not in a cake that is more fruit than actual cake. Hope you didn't throw away all that lovely egg and butter!

I alternate spoonfuls of beaten egg and spoonfuls of flour. But the end result will be absolutely fine!

Thanks, next time I’ll do as you all do. I didn’t throw it away it’s in the fridge ?. Tomorrow I’ll make a light fruit cake with it hopefully it’ll be edible if not the birds will enjoy it.

I heard Mary Berry say once that if the mixture splits, it won't be such a light cake. As Christmss cake isn't light anyway, I shouldn't worry.
I add a little flour with each egg.

I’ve never worried. I add flour with each egg, some split, some don’t. The end result seems to be the same. You’re a much more careful cook than I am tanith. I’m sure your cake(s) will be delicious.

I tend now to throw the sugar, butter and eggs into the mixer and whizz them up, (it will split but this is expected) and then add all the flour - perfect cake!

You’ve just reminded me. Last year I made my usual (or rather Delia’s) Creole Christmas cake, got all the ingredients together, including the fruit that had been marinating in copious amounts of booze for a week, mixed well, bunged it in the oven. A full hour later I spotted the butter that was still softening in a bowl over by the radiator. The cake was baking nicely when I pulled it out of the oven and whisked it all up again with the missing ingredient, then threw it back in to finish baking. It was as good as ever a couple of hours later. Christmas cakes are very resilient!

funnyshit.com.au/xmas_cake.html

?? Maw

I confess, I put all the ingredients into my Kenwood and then mix them altogether without worrying about careful beating, combining and mixing. My Christmas cakes ( and any others) turn out fine.

That’s more like it Maw!

Haha, Maw!
I tend to bung everything in together as well when making my Christmas cake too, don't think it makes a lot of difference. Going to attempt a loaf tin cake today; the fruit has been soaking nicely in brandy overnight.

Well thank you all for the advice I think I’ve just been too particular when baking in future I’ll bung it all in and hope.
This morning I rescued the mix I’d put in the fridge divided it in two and made two small light fruit cakes and a cherry cake and they came out of the oven perfect , hope they taste ok ?. So nothing was wasted .

Continual beating while adding the eggs shouldn't have split the mixture-----but that bit's hard-going.

Interesting to see that other have experienced their cake splitting but it's gone on to be perfectly edible. My mix also splits at times but I carry on regardless and no one complains.

I did almost have a disaster with the Xmas pudding this week. I soaked the fruit in alcohol then made the pud a day or two later and left it in the mixing bowl, ready to transfer to steaming bowls later. It seemed a lot runnier than usual so I double-checked the amounts but I hadn't made an error there so I just shrugged my shoulders and decided it was one of those things.

A bit later on, when clearing up after dinner, I moved a tea towel that had been placed on something - and discovered the container of dried fruit soaking in alcohol, which I'd completely forgotten to add to the mix!

? SueD

I recently found a nice easy way for Gdd (3 1/2) to make fairy cakes. Sod the proper way - creaming butter and sugar, etc. just melted the butter and let her mix the whole lot up together, eggs and all - though will add that I cheated a bit by adding a little bit of baking powder.
They rose better than the ones I make the 'proper' way!

We did end up with rather a lot of hundreds and 1000s on the floor while she was decorating them, but heigh ho.

It's interesting to see how so many people call it "splitting" whilst I have always known it to be called "curdling". Is this is another North/South thing? "Splitting does describe it well.

If a mix splits I have always carried on mixing the recipe as normal, I've not had any bad results or any difference in appearance or taste.

What I would like to know, if I may hijack expand the Christmas cake conversation, my cake seems to be happy to overcook and burn if not watched like hawk.
I have brown paper on the tin, have put a disc of paper on top for the final cooking time.
I'm using black treacle, golden syrup, dark brown sugar in the mix.

I think that can only be due to having the oven too hot Gmelon. Nothing to do with the ingredients. Long slow cooking is called for.

Black treacle and golden syrup would make a rich mixture, so the low heat would be very important.

Thank you gonegirl I've always had this problem, different ovens but only two recipes over the last thirty odd years. I'll put it on lower. I keep meaning to buy an oven thermometer.
First recipe was Rich Fruit Cake from Dairy Book of Home Cookery, now its a lovely one from Sunday Times book of Seasons.

I'd use the term curdle if I was starting a conversation about a cake mix but I use split if that's the terminology first used. To me, they're interchangeable.