Do you get that "feeling" when baking.

52many, Dec 17, 7:50am
That it is just not going to turn out!Well that happened to me and WAAAHHHHHHHHH. My Christmas cake is nothing but crap! No other word for it! I soaked my very expensive fruit medley in brandy for 3 weeks.I had fresh eggs from the chickens, heated the oven, never had this receipe fail before in all my life.Rose and sunk just like the Titanic! Boo hoooooooo
52many, Dec 17, 7:53am
And the worse thing was, it just smelled so devine while cooking it's heart out.the kids were in the kitchen every 10 minutes.wanting to know what smells so good.when can they eat it.
Sigh.sob.sigh.sob.-
.chickens will have a good feed tomorrow.
shop-a-holic, Dec 17, 7:53am
Leave it to go cold completely. Don't touch it :-)
Leave until the morning, then flip upside down, and you'll be amazed.
52many, Dec 17, 8:16am
Wipes nose, sniff.you think shop-a! Its in the fridge ready to give to the chickens for breakfast tomorrow.so will give this a go.I just, can not, believe it!
books4nz, Dec 17, 3:54pm
Apart from the sinking you've mentioned, what's happened to it and how does it look! Could the oven have been on grill! Could extra cooking be needed, on a slow temp! Don't throw it out - if it's not as you want it to be, use it as the fruit parts in the recipe to make another of the same cakes - add some brandy or juice to moisten it slightly, before using it in place of the fruit. Ie. if recipe needs 2kg fruit, weigh out 2kg's of the cake to replace the fruit. Add about half kg of extra dried fruit that's not from the cake - that amount won't affect the ratio of fruit to batter greatly, and will help balance with the non-fruit ingredients in the new cake. Aim to achieve a similar look and texture to the original recipe. Use any of the cake that's left to either make another cake or replace the fruit in a Christmas pudding, or to make truffles that are coated in chocolate, etc. We're doing a similar transference and helping friends today using Christmas mincemeat as the fruit for a Christmas pudding.
gardie, Dec 17, 4:38pm
Don't give it to the chooks!Turn it into Christmas pudding truffles - crumble it into a bowl and pour over some melted chocolate, a little bit of what you fancy, (rum, tia maria etc.) and mix it all up.Roll into balls then dip in more melted chocolate.(Nigella's recipe).
gardie, Dec 17, 4:40pm
The actual recipe for you.

Christmas pudding truffles; Ingredients

* 125g best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
* 350g leftover, or freshly cooked and cooled, Christmas pudding
* 60ml sherry
* 2 x 15ml tablespoons golden syrup
line baking sheet with clingfilm or foil. melt the dark chocolate.crumble the pudding and mix in a bowl with the sherry and golden syrup. stir then add the melted chocolate.
compact these ingredients together then shape into mini puddings. melt white chocolate and spoon on top. then decorate with red and green glacé cherries
Source(s):
nigella christmas cookery book
gaspodetwd, Dec 17, 5:36pm
Or mix into vanilla icecream for Christmas pudding ice cream.
klc1, Dec 17, 7:38pm
Fruit cake is yummy with ice cream or even custard poured over it.
cgvl, Dec 17, 8:37pm
I would take it out of the fridge asap otherwise it will dry out and not be nice at all.
My fruit cakes often sink in the middle nothing wrong with that.
You should leave it in its tin until completely cold ie over night. turn it out next day. Trim off the top so its more even, turn upside down and ice. Or you can leave as is and use a Brandy Butter Icing which will nicely cover the dent in the middle.
very_hotpants, Dec 17, 8:39pm
If it still tastes good use it as per above for deserts etc.
punkinthefirst, Dec 17, 8:58pm
Wot the others said! Don't give it to the chooks! If it is cooked right through, turn it over and ice it. If the middle has a huge sunken bit, trim offthe outer top, mix with apricot jam and use to fill the centre before you turn it over. Once it is iced nobody but you will ever notice!