The Official Xmas Cake Recipe Thread......

I am sure either would be fine. You are only baking at a low temp. Just check cake a little earlier than recommended.

Bumping to try adding a table recipe but having problems re layout hence this time editing rather than deletion again.....

When mixing the larger sizes, make sure one has a very large bowl..
I use a tupperware cake carry unit and mix the larger mixes in the lid section,
it is ideal.
Also if soaking fruit for the larger sizes, use large bowls,
I also have those large tupperware bowls that came with sealing lids
( they are about 25 to 30 years old but still like new ).
Method:-
A Preference prior to start mixing cake is to soak dried fruit in either
Ginger Ale or a nice Fruit Juice or a little of Sherry or Brandy Overnight at least
before mixing into Cake Mix….
· Weigh out all the ingredients into suitable containers so they are
to hand when needed.
· Before starting mixing make sure you have lined the correct tin and
turned on the oven. 150°C .
· Make sure the butter is left out of the fridge for a while before use,
this will help stop the mixture from curdling later when adding the eggs.
The eggs should also be at room temperature before using them
and not taken straight from the fridge.
· Make sure your mixing bowl, beater and machine are clean and ready for use.
· Add the butter & sugars and treacle to the mixing bowl.
· Cream the butter & sugars and treacle together, using the beater,
on a high speed until light.
· Stop the machine & give the beater & bowl a scrape down using
a plastic scraper.
· Add the eggs slowly on a medium speed so as not to curdle the mixture.
· Sieve the flour and spices together.
· Add the flour and spices gradually on a low speed.
· Stop the machine and scrape down the beater & bowl once more.
· Add the fruit gradually on a low speed .
· Turn off the machine.
· Give the mixture a final turn with your clean hands or a wooden spoon
to make sure it's properly mixed through.
· Add the mixture to the tin, levelling & smoothing the top with the back
of a spoon or wet closed fingers.
· Place into the middle of the oven at 150°C for the time given above
for your tin size.
· Check the cake after the allotted time using a skewer...place the skewer
into the middle of the cake if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
If it needs a little more time pop it back in for another ten or fifteen minutes...
if it starts burning then it's overdone or your oven is too hot!!
Best to cover with baking paper and cardboard on top and under the tin
and also outside around the tin if the oven is known to burn a little
( usually do this anyway ).
· Remove from the oven ...leave the cake in the tin on the top of the oven
or on the side on a cooling rack to cool down.
· When cold tip the cake out of the tin and remove the first layer of paper
leaving the greaseproof on the cake...you may add your brandy or sherry
or rum to the cake and then wrap up in more greaseproof paper and
then a sheet of aluminium foil.
· Store in a cool dry place for a while to mature ( best at least 2 weeks )
until needed for decoration.

well I made the wooden cake box recipe - a large 26cm one.It looks divine.Hope the taste is as good.

Oh, it will be. I am most impressed which for me is pretty good as I can take or leave Christmas cake.

Will the wooden cake box recipe be ok cooked in a normal newspaper lined tin? Will the cooking time need to be adjusted much?

Thanks Julie, I'm going to try yours; I generally try a different recipe each year and the thought of pineapple sounds very appealing.It might just become the "one" I use every year!

>Thanks so much for giving me local details COOKSESSENTIALS!! thats most helpful!! Thanks too to the others who responded to my query- cant wait to get baking!!

Bumping this up for one looking for a Rich Christmas Cake recipe.....

None are complex ????

Would someone please post the recipe for Nigella Lawson's christmas cake.Thanks.

No problem, I take you managed to get one from Vendettis? Peter and Sally are lovely and now you know where they are, you will know where to finssd some great things that they stock.

I am sure you can. Just remember the low heat and for a metal tin, you will need a few layers of newspaper or thick brown paper around the outside and either stapled or tied.

Whoops, that was me above. Didn't realise hubby was logged in.

Nigella Lawson's Christmas Cake recipe from How to be a Domestic Goddess can be found here:

http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/advent2002/recipes/ChristCake.h
tm

The recipe I have for xmas cake only has 2T of sherry in it. Is that sufficient alcohol for it to keep until xmas if I make it now? I don't want to have to keep pouring liberal amounts of alcohol over it or freeze it either....

Unless it's an extremely wet cake that should be fine.it's not just the alcohol that preserves the cake, it's the very high sugar content from the sugar and dried fruit.

Thanks davidt4.

Hi Juliewn forgive me if this question has been asked already. I really like your recipe and am wondering if you have made small single cakes with it? Particularly like the no sugar bit. Cheers

Hi Suzanna.. I haven't made the recipe as single cakes, however would think they'd be successful..

I'd grease the tins then line them with baking paper, then instead of using newspaper around the outside, I'd use 3 or 4 layers of tinfoil and press them to the shape around the sides and bottom of the outside of the tins. Newspaper could still be used above and below the cakes, as included in my post with the recipe.

Enjoy the recipe.. it's delicious.. :-)

Cheers.. Julie

I just made juliewn's recipe and its in the oven now.kids all had a stir and licked the bowls.

Hi Emma - hope you love the cake. cool the kids stirred the mix. and licking the bowl with this cake tastes very good. :-)

It looks great.took about 6 hours to cook! Looking forward to tasting it in a few weeks.

Overnite Gingerale Xmas Cake
Soak 1 kg of Mixed Fruit (I use the pams stuff from paknsave) in 1/2 of a 1.5ltr bottle of gingerale overnite!, drain the next morning in a colander. Cake tin preparation: (most important but worth it). On the bottom you need to put a layer of cardboard, then 2 layers of newspaper then a layer of brown paper then a layer of greaseproof paper then on the sides you need to do the same but no cardboard.its sorta painful BUT makes it all worth while.(my round cake tin is 20cm across) Beat together: 225g softened butter, 225g white sugar, 4 eggs added one at a time, Then add to that mix: 3c flour, 1 Tbsp golden syrup, 1tsp baking powder, a good dash of curry powder!, 1tsp of rum or brandy essence, 1tsp of vanilla essence, 1tsp of almond essence, DON'T PREHEAT YOUR OVEN!, Bake at 130-140'c for the first 2.5hrs then at 100'c for 1.5hrs = altogether 4hrs, Can put a layer of tinfoil loosley ontop to stop it going to brown if you need to.to store wrap in greaseproof paper, then brownpaper then newspaper then gladwrap or in a cake tin.

This is our favourite Christmas cake. there's a lot of writing below that includes preparing the tins and storing - the cake itself is very easy to make.
The recipe makes either a large (roast tin size) cake, or three medium cakes - which is what I do.
No sugar or eggs are in this recipe and it freezes beautifully.
The recipe can be halved easily also.

To prepare the tins:
I lightly grease three tins - round or square; and line the bottom of each with baking paper.
Line the sides with baking paper also, bringing the baking paper 5-6cm higher than the sides of the tins.
Use a little butter to stick the ends of the paper together.

I then cut wide strips of newspaper - the same width as the height of the baking paper - and about 5-6 sheets thick.
Staple those around the OUTSIDE of each tin, until you have a thick band of newspaper around the outside. I find it's easier to do this way and it means the finished cake is the full-size of the inside of the tin.
For the bottom and tops of the tins/ cakes, notes are below.

Christmas Cake:

Ingredients:
Mix together in a large bowl:
1.75kg dried fruit of your choice (I use a mix of sultana's, sticky raisins (sold in a box) and currants.
1 packet glace cherries, chopped or left whole. (optional)
1 packet mixed peel (optional)
2 cans crushed pineapple, including the juice.
Cover and leave overnight or at least 7-8 hours - the pineapple juice will be absorbed by the fruit.

Next day, when ready to make the cake, preheat oven to 120°C. Place an oven rack about a third the way up from the bottom of the oven, and place a flat biscuit tray on this.

Melt 250gms butter.
Add 2 tins of sweetened condensed milk.

Sift together:
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice.

Stir 2 tsp baking soda into 3 cups cold water.

Add the butter mix, flour mix and water mix to the fruit and stir together well.

Don't forget to have everyone make a wish - close your eyes as you stir the mix. and wish! :-)

Divide the mix between the tins. Use the back of a spoon to press the mix down well, and level the mix across the top.

On the biscuit tray in the oven, place a thick whole section of a newspaper – about 5-6 layers thick and folded so it’s flat.
Place the cake tins on this, and place another section, about the same thickness, on the top.
The thick sides of the newspaper around the sides of the tins will support the newspaper on top.
The paper will go light brown during cooking – it won’t burn though at this temperature.

Bake for 1 & 1/2 hours, then if you want, decorate the top with a mix of almonds and cherries - or your preferred mix of nuts and cherries. I place them on when it's partly cooked so the nuts and cherries don't sink into the mix.

Bake for 1 & 1/2 hours more and check in the centre with a skewer – continue cooking till the skewer comes out clean - depending on the size of the cake/s, this could be up to several hours longer - your skewer is your guide.

Remove from the oven, and cover the tins with a teatowel, then place a thick towel over that, so it covers the tops and sides of the cakes.
Leave the newspaper around the tins so the cakes cool slowly, and leave overnight in the tin to cool.
Next day, remove the cakes from the tins carefully.

I prefer to freeze my cakes, unless making them a short time before they're needed.
I wrap each of the cakes in three layers of plastic wrap before freezing - as the cake doesn't freeze hard, the flavours continue to develop - and there's no risk of the cake being affected by any mould during humid summer weather.

Hope this helps. it’s the best cake recipe I’ve ever made for Christmas’, Wedding’s, 21sts, Christening’s and other special occasions. Cakes have been sent in Christmas parcels to my Son overseas. I've been making it since a few months before my now 20 year old Daughter was born. so this Christmas is it's 21st year.

Enjoy :-

bump add your recipe.