Christmas Cake

kah22

I've been caught by the baking bug over this past few years and this year I want to make my own Christmas cake. There are three recipes I am looking at. One is by Delia She also gives a good guide to baking the cake Here. The seond is a John Lewis recipe and the third is by my favourite cheif Gordon Ramsay.

My feeling at the moment would be to go with the Delia cake but Ramsay is a very close second. Maybe I'll make two!

I was reading an online article in the Telegraph which suggested the traditional day for making Christmas cakes and puddings in England was Stir Up Sunday, the last weekend before Advent. As a person very interested in tradition I was wondering if there is a traditional time to start making Christmas cakes here in Ireland.

Oh yes and while you are at it have you a favourite Christmas cake recipe?

Kevin

Faith

I made Delias one last year for my mum and she said it was one of the best Christmas cakes she'd ever had. Now, she's always very complimentary about my baking, but she also knows her Christmas cake.

ghartley

I have been making the delia one for about 3 years and everyone loves it, I do mine in october just so I have plenty of time to "feed" it.

sdp

plus one for Delias christmas cake, been making it last 10 years, and never goes wrong

vic20

I've made Nigella's Chocolate Christmas cake for the last four or five years. Always goes down well.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolatefruitcake_84675

kah22

I'm a life long non-drinker and while I don't mind cooking with booze or eating food with booze in it as you might guess I don't have a great stock of it about the house.

Delia's recipe calls for brandy. Now I haven't got any brandy in the house but I do have a small bottle of whiskey and I was wondering if substituting whiskey for brandy will make that big of a difference. I'm assuming it won't but if I thought it would improve the cake I'd buy a small bottle of brandy

Hopefully some member who has baked the cake both ways can reply

Kevin

Faith

It's fine. I used whiskey last year. I don't drink brandy or whiskey, so just bought a naggin of whiskey for it.

ghartley

kah22 wrote: »

I'm a life long non-drinker and while I don't mind cooking with booze or eating food with booze in it as you might guess I don't have a great stock of it about the house.

Delia's recipe calls for brandy. Now I haven't got any brandy in the house but I do have a small bottle of whiskey and I was wondering if substituting whiskey for brandy will make that big of a difference. I'm assuming it won't but if I thought it would improve the cake I'd buy a small bottle of brandy

Hopefully some member who has baked the cake both ways can reply

Kevin

yeah you can no problem, it will still taste great

leahyl

Oh all this talk of Christmas cake has me all excited about Christmas now! Maybe I'll make one myself!

vic20

http://www.xmasclock.com/ You still have time to gather the ingredients

leahyl wrote: »

Oh all this talk of Christmas cake has me all excited about Christmas now! Maybe I'll make one myself!

Sigma Force

Nigellas Simnel cake can be made in to a xmassy cake maybe adding a little brandy or whiskey to the mix and covering the whole thing in marzipan and icing, it tastes just as nice as xmas cake nommy nom nom. Plus you can make it a day or two before..I'm a lazy baker.

vic20

I came across this recipe recently. Made one, left it for a week and tried it. Very nice If left to age for longer and with a more liberal dose of brandy (or whatever) it would make a fine Christmas cake.

kah22

Bought the brandy, thought I'd stick to the recipe first time around. But another question. How much brandy? Or is that like asking how long is a piece of string.

It is a 20cl bottle which I take it means 200mls

Kevin

vic20

Which recipe are you going for? (there's a fine selection of cakes on this thread)

kah22 wrote: »

Bought the brandy, thought I'd stick to the recipe first time around. But another question. How much brandy? Or is that like asking how long is a piece of string.

It is a 20cl bottle which I take it means 200mls

Kevin

kah22

vic20 wrote: »

Which recipe are you going for? (there's a fine selection of cakes on this thread)

Delia Smiths

vic20

Sorry, should have spotted that you had posted here previously.

I've never made her recipe so those that have will have a better idea as to how moist it is but I'd imagine that two or three tablespoons on it would not go astray...

kah22 wrote: »

Delia Smiths

Faith

How early do folk usually start making their christmas cakes?

toadfly

Faith wrote: »

How early do folk usually start making their christmas cakes?

I usually make them around the end of October.

sdp

kah22 wrote: »

Bought the brandy, thought I'd stick to the recipe first time around. But another question. How much brandy? Or is that like asking how long is a piece of string.

It is a 20cl bottle which I take it means 200mls

Kevin

If you are planning on feeding it, then 2/ 3 tablespoons is fine, double up if your not feeding it, you'll know by looking at the fruit, they should be nice and plump and juicy, good luck with it, we'll be making ours at the weekend

vic20

I don't make Nigella's recipe until mid November but I think I'll try something different this year so that'll be made at the weekend.

Faith wrote: »

How early do folk usually start making their christmas cakes?

vicwatson

Faith wrote: »

I made Delias one last year for my mum and she said it was one of the best Christmas cakes she'd ever had. Now, she's always very complimentary about my baking, but she also knows her Christmas cake.

I've the Delia one in the oven ! an hour to go ! Smells good, hope I didn't make a hames of it.

Can you tell me in the recipe she say to "feed" it Brandy once its cool etc,

How much to use, don't want to kill it with brandy?

How often? i.e. should I do it again in perhaps November and December or......?

Cheers

Edit 0 just reading here makes me think I've baked the CC wayyyyyy too early?? Wil it be mouldy by Christmas ?

Faith

Just drizzle a couple of dessertspoonfuls over it every fortnight or so.

vicwatson

And it be good to Christmas? Suppose the alcohol acts as a preserving agent

Faith

Fruit cakes last for bloody years! Don't forget to prick a few holes in it with a cocktail stick before drizzling over the alcohol.

phormium

The sugar in the fruit preserves the cake, they will last for ages even with no alcohol.

vicwatson

phormium wrote: »

The sugar in the fruit preserves the cake, they will last for ages even with no alcohol.

Ages? as in from now to Christmas ??

Faith

vicwatson wrote: »

Ages? as in from now to Christmas ??

As in, from now to several years from now probably. People pick away at fruit cakes for months after they get them, and they've been made weeks to months before people first cut into them. Wrap it up well, stored it in a tin or container in a cool place and it'll be grand. Please stop worrying about it.

phormium

Absolutely, at Christmas it will only be a young thing! Will last for years stored correctly, I have some 18 month old fruit cake at the moment, delicious. (And I put no alcohol on it after baking, fruit was steeped in it beforehand but nothing afterwards)

vicwatson

Faith wrote: »

As in, from now to several years from now probably. People pick away at fruit cakes for months after they get them, and they've been made weeks to months before people first cut into them. Wrap it up well, stored it in a tin or container in a cool place and it'll be grand. Please stop worrying about it.

Ha! too right I'll worry, it cost me about 15 euro in ingredients thus far, and about a tenner in electricity to cook it, last thing I want is to open it in a months time and it's manky mouldy !! :D

B0jangles

I used to use an old Mrs Beeton rich christmas cake recipe, but I switched to the Delia one about 3 years ago and everyone thinks it's a better cake.

Also I have never bothered with the whole "feeding" thing and the cake is always absolutely fine; I baked two last year - one for christmas and one for my Dad's birthday in late May and the May one was even better than the christmas one.

Just baked this year's one yesterday

Kinda think of baking another one today, I still have most of the ingredients lying around...

Stench Blossoms

Has anyone got a recipe for Chirstmas pudding?

vic20

http://www.minimins.com/recipes/5377-traditional-christmas-pudding.html

Make it every year. It's from a "Christmas Baking from Stork" booklet written by Paula Daly.
Also have another recipe but that might be a bit big as it starts off with 3lbs of flour

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Has anyone got a recipe for Chirstmas pudding?

Stench Blossoms

vic20 wrote: »

http://www.minimins.com/recipes/5377-traditional-christmas-pudding.html

Make it every year. It's from a "Christmas Baking from Stork" booklet written by Paula Daly.
Also have another recipe but that might be a bit big as it starts off with 3lbs of flour

Thanks

That one looks very similar to the odlums one. Gonna try it this evening.

vic20

Just spotted a slight difference between the one I posted and the recipe in the actual booklet:
The booklet calls for "1 x 375g packet currants (approx 12oz)" rather than the 1lb in the link above. Not going to make much difference anyway.

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Thanks

That one looks very similar to the odlums one. Gonna try it this evening.

tan11ie

Faith wrote: »

How early do folk usually start making their christmas cakes?

Always the first week in November for me, I ice it the week before Christmas

huskerdu

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Has anyone got a recipe for Chirstmas pudding?

Christmas pudding recipe from the Farmers Journal 1969,
My MIL has used it every year since, and I have used it the last few years.

It's a relatively light coloured, moist and crumbly pudding which is yummy.

Sorry about the lb/oz - it is from 1969
This amount makes 3 small puddings.

1/2 lb butter
1/2 lib brown sugar
1/2 bottle stout - I assume they mean a 1/2 pint bottle
1/2 lb breadcrumbs
2 oz flour
6 oz sultanas
6 oz raisins
2 oz currants
4 oz peeled chopped apple
2 oz chopped candied peel ( I dont bother with this, not a fan)
2 oz glace cherries
3 eggs
rind and juice of one small orange
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp mixed spice
1/2 glass whisky

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the flour, crumbs and beaten eggs and mix

Mix in all the rest of the dry ingredients and then add the stout, whisky and OJ.

Steam for 4-5 hrs if in one pint bowls, or 6 hrs if in larger bowls.

Store til Christmas.
Steam for 90 minutes on the day.

kah22

Here's Three You Might Find Useful

Christmas Pudding Darina Allen

Makes 2 x 1.8 litre (3 pint) or 3 x 1.2 litre (2 pint) puddings; The large size will serve 10–12 people, the medium 6–8
• 350g (12oz) raisins
• 350g (12oz) sultanas
• 350g (12oz) currants
• 350g (12oz) brown sugar
• 350g (12oz) white breadcrumbs
• 350g (12oz) suet, finely chopped
• 110g (4oz) candied peel (preferably homemade)
• 2 Bramley’s Seedling or Grenadier cooking apples, peeled and diced or grated
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 3 cloves, pounded
• pinch of salt
• 6 organic eggs
• 60ml (21⁄2fl oz) Jamaica rum
• 110g (4oz) skinned almonds, chopped
• whiskey or brandy, for flaming
Method
1. Choose a large bowl. Mix all the ingredients together very thoroughly and leave overnight; don’t forget, everyone in the family must stir and make a wish! The following day, stir again for good measure.
2. Fill into pudding bowls, allowing about 4cm (11⁄2in) space at the top of the bowl; cover with a double sheet of pleated greaseproof paper, tie it tightly under the rim with cotton twine and make a handle for ease of lifting.
3. Steam the puddings in a covered saucepan of boiling water for 6 hours. The water should come halfway up the side of the bowl: check every hour or so and top up with boiling water. After 6 hours, remove the puddings. Allow to become cold and cover with fresh greaseproof paper. Store in a cool dry place until required.
4. On the day you wish to serve the plum pudding, steam for a further 2 hours. Turn the pudding onto a very hot serving plate, pour over some whiskey or brandy and ignite. Serve immediately on very hot plates with brandy butter.

Christmas Pudding Delia

This recipe makes one large pudding in a 2 pint (1.2 litre) basin. If you have any left over it will re-heat beautifully, wrapped in foil, in the oven next day. If you want two smaller puddings, use two 1 pint (570 ml) basins, but give them the same steaming time. If you can't get barley wine (pubs usually have it), use extra stout instead. The best way to use what's left over, if you don't want to drink it, is to add it to my Beef in Designer Beer recipe to give it a beautiful rich sauce.

Serves 8-10

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Christmas.

Ingredients
4 oz (110 g) shredded suet
2 oz (50 g) self-raising flour, sifted
4 oz (110 g) white breadcrumbs
1 level teaspoon ground mixed spice
¼ level teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
good pinch ground cinnamon
8 oz (225 g) soft dark brown sugar
4 oz (110 g) sultanas
4 oz (110 g) raisins
10 oz (275 g) currants
1 oz (25 g) mixed candied peel, finely chopped (buy whole peel if possible, then chop it yourself)
1 oz (25 g) almonds, skinned and chopped
1 small cooking apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
grated zest ½ large orange
grated zest ½ large lemon
2 tablespoons rum
2½ fl oz (75 ml) barley wine
2½ fl oz (75 ml) stout
2 large eggs
Equipment
You will also need a 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basin, lightly greased.

Method
Begin the day before you want to steam the pudding. Take your largest, roomiest mixing bowl and start by putting in the suet, sifted flour and breadcrumbs, spices and sugar. Mix these ingredients very thoroughly together, then gradually mix in all the dried fruit, mixed peel and nuts followed by the apple and the grated orange and lemon zests. Don't forget to tick everything off so as not to leave anything out.
Now in a smaller basin measure out the rum, barley wine and stout, then add the eggs and beat these thoroughly together. Next pour this over all the other ingredients, and begin to mix very thoroughly. It's now traditional to gather all the family round, especially the children, and invite everyone to have a really good stir and make a wish! The mixture should have a fairly sloppy consistency – that is, it should fall instantly from the spoon when this is tapped on the side of the bowl. If you think it needs a bit more liquid add a spot more stout. Cover the bowl and leave overnight.
Next day pack the mixture into the lightly greased basin, cover it with a double sheet of silicone paper (baking parchment) and a sheet of foil and tie it securely with string (you really need to borrow someone's finger for this!). It's also a good idea to tie a piece of string across the top to make a handle. Place the pudding in a steamer set over a saucepan of simmering water and steam the pudding for 8 hours. Do make sure you keep a regular eye on the water underneath and top it up with boiling water from the kettle from time to time.
When the pudding is steamed let it get quite cold, then remove the steam papers and foil and replace them with some fresh ones, again making a string handle for easier manoeuvring. Now your Christmas pudding is all ready for Christmas Day. Keep it in a cool place away from the light. Under the bed in an unheated bedroom is an ideal place.
To cook, fill a saucepan quite full with boiling water, put it on the heat and, when it comes back to the boil, place a steamer on top of the pan and turn it down to a gentle simmer. Put the Christmas pudding in the steamer, cover and leave to steam away for 2¼ hours. You'll need to check the water from time to time and maybe top it up a bit.
To serve, remove the pudding from the steamer and take off the wrapping. Slide a palette knife all round the pudding, then turn it out on to a warmed plate. Place a suitably sized sprig of holly on top. Now warm a ladleful of brandy over direct heat, and as soon as the brandy is hot ask someone to set light to it. Place the ladle, now gently flaming, on top of the pudding – but don't pour it over until you reach the table. When you do, pour it slowly over the pudding, sides and all, and watch it flame to the cheers of the assembled company!
When both flames and cheers have died down, serve the pudding with rum sauce, or rum or brandy butter.If you want to make individual Christmas puddings for gifts, this quantity makes eight 6 oz (175 g) small metal pudding basins. Steam them for 3 hours, then re-steam for 1 hour. They look pretty wrapped in silicone paper and muslin and tied with attractive bows and tags.

Christmas Pudding Gordon Ramsay

Light steamed Christmas pudding with whiskey cream
After the turkey with all its trimmings and accompaniments, this will be much more popular than the traditional heavily fruited Christmas pudding – and the whisky cream is irresistible. You can still impress everyone with a flaming pudding, too.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 ½ hours
You will need
210g butter, softened, plus extra to grease
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp maple syrup, plus optional extra to drizzle
3 bay leaves
210g light brown soft sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
100g self-raising flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cloves
pinch of fine sea salt
Whiskey cream:
150ml double cream
dash of whiskey, to taste, plus extra to flambé
dash of Irish cream liqueur, to taste
Method
1. Grease a one and a half litre pudding basin with butter, scatter the orange zest in the bottom and pour the maple syrup on top. Put the bay leaves in the middle and press down.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and light. With the motor running on low speed, slowly add the beaten eggs, making sure each addition is incorporated before the next is added.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, ground cloves and salt and fold through with a large metal spoon.
4. Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin. Lay a buttered and pleated sheet of greaseproof paper on top of the bowl, buttered side down, and cover with a sheet of pleated foil of the same size. Secure tightly with string under the rim of the bowl.
5. Stand the basin on a trivet or an upturned ramekin in a large saucepan. Pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the side of the basin and bring to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over a low heat for one and a half hours, checking the water level every 30 minutes or so and topping up with boiling water as needed.
6. Meanwhile, for the whiskey cream, whisk the cream with a dash each of whiskey and cream liqueur in a large bowl to soft peaks. Transfer to a serving bowl.
7. To check that the pudding is ready, unwrap and insert a skewer into the middle; it should come out clean. To unmould, loosen the sides of the sponge, then invert a warmed serving plate over the hot pudding and turn both over to unmould the pudding onto the plate. Glaze with some more maple syrup, if you wish.
8. To flambé the pudding, warm a little whiskey in a small pan and ignite it at the table with a match, then pour on top of the pudding. Serve with the whiskey cream.
Recipe, Christmas with Gordon by Gordon Ramsay (Quardrille)

Fortunately I don't have to make a Christmas pudding as I get one given to me each year

vic20

Bay leaves in a maple syrup steamed pudding...? Must try this one
Thanks.

kah22 wrote: »

Here's Three You Might Find Useful
<snip>
Christmas Pudding Gordon Ramsay
<snip>

lachin

Just after making the Delia Christmas cake...wondering if I made two would that change the cooking time or temperature? Bit of a baking novice but really enjoy it!!

vic20

Hard to say as each oven is unique. Keep an eye on them and cover if starting to darken too early.

lachin wrote: »

Just after making the Delia Christmas cake...wondering if I made two would that change the cooking time or temperature? Bit of a baking novice but really enjoy it!!

confusticated

Related question, I have an old Odlums recipe for the cake which is lovely, but my boyfriend and my housemate both hate almond paste. Any ideas on what I could put on the cake to replace it?

phormium

You can just put sugarpaste layer on it. Other than taste the main purpose of almond paste was to stop the cake staining the royal icing, it formed a barrier, the same does not happen with sugarpaste unless you intend keeping the cake for an awful long time.

fillefatale

I've been making Xmas cake for a couple of years now, and they barely last a week once my parents tuck in! I was wondering though, how feasible is it to divide a mixture in two - I'd like to make the family cake, plus two smaller ones to give as gifts. Has anyone tried this with any success? I was thinking of dividing the mixture into loaf tins.

phormium

Are you putting almond paste etc on them or just leaving them plain?

If decorating I would make it in one big tin and cut it up and decorate as separate cakes.

Loaf tins might be fine if you insulate them well with paper or cardboard, biggest risk would be that you get too much drier overdone outside with a loaf shaped tin. Other than that there is no reason why you cannot divide it up into lots of tins. I make a lot of little ones, mainly round though, things like Tesco cocoa tins are great for baking in, in fact anything like heavy cardboard, pringles tins as well, the cardboard does not conduct the heat like metal so outside does not get overdone. I still wrap them in protective strips and line well.

fillefatale

phormium wrote: »

Are you putting almond paste etc on them or just leaving them plain?

If decorating I would make it in one big tin and cut it up and decorate as separate cakes.

Loaf tins might be fine if you insulate them well with paper or cardboard, biggest risk would be that you get too much drier overdone outside with a loaf shaped tin. Other than that there is no reason why you cannot divide it up into lots of tins. I make a lot of little ones, mainly round though, things like Tesco cocoa tins are great for baking in, in fact anything like heavy cardboard, pringles tins as well, the cardboard does not conduct the heat like metal so outside does not get overdone. I still wrap them in protective strips and line well.

This was my worry. I usually don't decorate them as personally I don't like icing, but this might an option if I was to cut them in half and decorate. I really like your idea using cocoa boxes to make smaller ones, never heard this before!

phormium

Some of the best cakes I have made have been baked in cardboard boxes!

janmaree

I inherited the cake and pudding making tradition after my Mum died and not being sure of which recipes she had used, I turned to Nevin Maguire's book for both. They are just gorgeous and everyone loves them, even when I've left it very late and made them the week beforehand! I break all the rules, I know, but they're very forgiving, moist and delicious. Will try harder this year, maybe make them this month even!

fillefatale

I'm planning to make mine today, hope people post pictures once they're done! I am going to try out Delia's version this year.

D'oh! Forgot to soak the fruit, is this necessary if i'm going to be feeding it with brandy for the next 7 weeks?

janmaree

fillefatale wrote: »

I'm planning to make mine today, hope people post pictures once they're done! I am going to try out Delia's version this year.

D'oh! Forgot to soak the fruit, is this necessary if i'm going to be feeding it with brandy for the next 7 weeks?

I would soak the fruit and bake tomorrow instead if I were you, I'd be afraid of the fruit hardening up a bit during the baking and being a bit toothsome when eaten. Just my opinion but you know, it may not make the slightest difference!

Cerulean Chicken

Yeah I'd soak the fruit too, much better way to get moisture into a cake than saturating it with raw alcohol afterwards, ugh, soggy wet fruit cake makes me gag.

fillefatale

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Yeah I'd soak the fruit too, much better way to get moisture into a cake than saturating it with raw alcohol afterwards, ugh, soggy wet fruit cake makes me gag.

I used to not soak it with the old recipe I used and it was perfect, but will err on the side of caution seeing as I'm using a new recipe now. Thanks!