Christmas cake idea please

Hi all
I am having all the family for Christmas Day and a few days after.I want to make my fruit christmas cake but some like iced fruit ckae (almond icing - yum yum!); some like fruit cake but not icing and some don't like fruit cake at all.
So I am thinking of making the fruit cake and icing it and those who don't like the icing can have inner pieces and take the little bit of icing off and then also making a chocolate cake and icing it with a white chocolate icing of some sort.
I am not sure how to display them both - just as two cakes maybe! Any ideas please!
Also any ideas on a good chocolate cake recipe that I can make a couple of days ahead if possible and will last about a week - if such a cake exists.
I am open to any other suggestions anyone might have as I am a bit stumped.I am ok for the fruit cake as I make that each year for us.
Thanks so miuch

maybe try a chocolate mud cake recipe! they are quite moist and should last a few days.

As for displaying. oooh. maybe try a square xmas cake then a round chocolate cake and putting that on top of the xmas cake! so its a two tier cake!

Make a decent size square cake and cut it in to four, then decorate one with the almond icing, keep the other one plain and freeze the other two for Christmas. A 26cm cake will give you four reasonably sized cakes, enough to serve for the occasion.

Raewyn64, if you type "moist chocolate cake" in the search box at left and choose "last year" you will be inundated with recipes for all kinds and sizes of scrumptious chocolate cakes.
As for the fruit cake why not make your usual recipe but divide it into two smaller tins and leave one of them uniced or just decorate the top with extra glace fruit and/or nuts before baking !
Display is not my strong point so I will leave that to those who know more than I do which means almost everyone.

Thanks everyone for some great ideas.Combining a couple of your suggestions and what I might do is make my usual fruit cake (large square) and ice it, then do a round chocolate cake and then a small square fruit with no icing and so end up with a 3 tier cake. The ones who don't like icing are the minority of the group and if I can decorate the top of it nicely then it will look good as a top piece to the display.
Thanks again - itis great when a few ideas thrown around can inspire when before I had just blank thoughts :)Indy95 I shall have a look through the old messages tonight for a chocolate cake recipe, thanks.
I just need to get some tips on making the top uniced fruit cake look fancy as I have always iced them before.

Somewhere on this message board is a really nice fruit cake I make. It can be put into 2 tins instead of one and one decorated with almonds and the other left plain to be iced later.
It is rich, full of fruit and alcohol (which you can leave out) and you only need a small piece.
In fact I just threw out the last of last years cake because the icing had gone off, the cake itself is still fine but as we dont eat much cake now not worth making or keeping. Still have wedding cake made over 6 years ago (same recipe) which is still edible.

Get some blanched almond nuts and arrange them nicely on top of the cake before cooking - that'll make the uniced fruit cake look fancy :)

raewyn64, maybe you could make a plaque out of icing, place on a piece of foil covered cardboard or on a thin cake board and add a Christmas message if you wanted one and Christmas themed decorations on that.Can use just a smidgen of icing to hold it in place and can remove before cutting cake.If edible can give it to those who love icing to demolish.Hope this makes sense.

See you are in Tauranga so maybe a trip into Cuisine Council, or one of the cake decorating places around there nearer to Christmas, would have ideas for a topper if you wanted to make your own or you could buy something.

Thanks for those suggestions. Cookiebarrel I am really afraid to go to Cuisine Council - I would want to purchase half the shop at least!

Try this, and add other nuts and cherries to the top as well.

raewyn64 know exactly what you mean, but they are such lovely ladies in there and oh so helpful.Already have a wish list for next time I visit.Lucky I do not live in Tauranga or I would be so, so tempted far to often.

Somewhere I have saved Nigella's Chocolate Prune Christmas Cake.Here's the link:

http://www.styleathome.com/food-and-entertaining/recipes/recipe-nigella-s-incredibly-easy-chocolate-fruitcake/a/19002/

thanks very much for that :)

Hi cgvl, any chance of locating it, copying and reposting in this thread please!

It was saved on Fisher's site and I will have to go hunt it out again. Will post tomorrow.

Thanks very much, he's a great guy.

Louise's Special Fruit Cake:
Start at least 1 day before:
Ingredients:
500g sultanas,
250g raisins,
100g mixed peel,
125geach of currants, and glace cherries,
60g of each of the following, glace pineapple, dried apricots, pitted prunes, figs and dates,
125mls of both Whisky and Orange juice.
Place all the above into a large container, cover and leave overnight, if leaving longer than 1 night you need to stir the mix a few times. the longer left the nicer the finished cake.

Day 2:
Ingredients:
400g butter (unsalted),
225g sugar (black),
1tsp each of finely grated lemon and orange rinds,
1Tbsp Orange juice,
1tsp vanilla essence,
¼ tsp Almond essence,
2Tbsp Marmalade,
125g chopped dark chocolate,
4 large eggs,
325g plain flour,
1tsp cinnamon,
¼ tsp each of nutmeg and mace,
20 blanched whole almonds to decorate top ( if not icing cake)
30mls brandy or whisky.

Method:
Cream butter and sugar, stir in the rinds, orange juice, essences and marmalade. Melt chocolate and cool. Stir into the mixture. Add eggs beat well. Sift dry ingredients and fold in with the fruit mixture.
Spoon into prepared tin and level top. Decorate with almonds if not icing cake.
Cook in the coolest part of the oven at 140C for 4-4 ½ hours. Store in a cool place.
Recipe uses a very deep 20cm tin.

Note: 1) I use 2 x 8” cake tins for this cake .
2) Do not use black or brown sugar unless you want a very dark cake also black sugar is sugar that has been burnt an old way of getting a dark cake but can also make a cake bitter. I only ever use white sugar
3) glace apricots I substitute dried for these and the same with the pineapple, also can add green as well as red cherries.
4) If you double this mixture as I once did then make sure you can get 3-4 cake baking tins in your oven at the same time. I made a 12”, 10” and 2 x 8” cakes that time.
This cake is loved by all who have had the opportunity to try it and as I have said will keep for a long time in the right conditions. I only ever wrap it in grease proof paper, then in either brown paper or unused newsprint (white) then in several layers of newsprint and put it into a dark cool cupboard until I am ready to use it. I also do not ice the cake I prefer it not iced and with the almonds on top.
I have kept and eaten this cake after 3 years just wrapped as above and it was still moist and not mouldy.

Thanks! Will make soon - have just chopped 24 tamerillos plus 500g apples and the same amount of onions for a chutney. Next job marmalade, then the the cake. We guys are buggers for punishment - plus racing to the telly to watch bits and pieces of olympics!

I sometimes leave the fruit soaking for a week or two, just make up when ready.