Christmas 09 Let's Get Organised!!

kingshir

kingshir wrote: »

Morning all, I'm afraid I overslept this morning and flew out of the door without my recipe book - Sorry! I will post it tomorrow I promise:D

The original recipe is very basic, so I will show it and then say what I add or leave out. It really is fool-proof, very adaptable and can be as cheap or expensive as you choose. I buy my fruit in the market at one of those 'buy by weight' stalls and I reckon the cost for 2 big cakes is approx £12. It could be made for less if necessary it just depends on the ingredients you choose. I use LOTS of fruit and cherries, my OH says it is 'More Christmas than Cake' :rotfl:

Original Basic Recipe:
12oz mixed fruit
4oz sugar
4oz marg
1/4 pt (5 fl oz) water
8oz SR Flour

Put fruit, sugar, marg and water in a saucepan and simmer gently with lid on for approx 20mins.
Allow to cool then add beaten egg and stir in flour
Turn into a greased 6-7inch cake tin and bake for 1 1/2 hrs at Mark 2, 150C or 300F

Please believe me when I say you can't make a mistake with this recipe so please feel free to play about with it to suit yourself:D

My xmas cakes this year were made up of (8oz each of) chopped dates, apricots, prunes, sultantas and (1lb of) glace cherries. Instead of plain water I used 1 large tbs black treacle, 1 large tbs fine shred marmalade, a good dollop of brandy and (at the end of mixing everything in) added milk to make a soft mixture. I used butter instead of marg and use less than half of the sugar because the fruit/cherries I use are very sweet aready. I use double the amount of eggs and I add 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg and cinnamon to the flour. For the 2 cakes I used approx 10oz flour.

I line and grease the tins and turn them round half way every half an hour. I also cover the top with tin foil after approx 1hr (I have got a 'funny' cooker :eek:) Poke with a scewer to check the middle is cooked, if not put back for 15 mins and check again and keep on doing that until it is cooked! As I said before it keeps very well (even if you don't feed it with alcohol).

My SIL uses this recipes but she uses a couple of packets of Sainsbury Luxury Fruit Mix which has sultanas, currants, cherries, orange rind etc etc and uses port instead of water- the result is an excellant cake but not as good as mine of course!;):p

Sorry this is a long post, I do hope you'll like it and will let us know how you get on.

ps If anyone is worried you could make a very small 'tryer' cake first

chickywiggle

Shevs wrote: »

Hahaha that really made me laugh, im too young to be anybodys nana x

sorry - didn't read as i expected - don't you hate it when that happens!! Meant I might add it to his nannas christmas list :rotfl: not for nanna obviously ......... ohhh I'm gonna stop before i confuse myself :rolleyes:


Todays bargins for the baskets:
some round tuits - 29p each (for anyone who has never heard of them this is the definition.....http://www.stosyth.gov.uk/images/editor/Sep03a-round-tuit.jpeg)

Tim Vine stand up DVD - 99p

cdsmiler

Shevs wrote: »

cdsmiler/Clare I got the earings off ebay, I just put in nightmare before christmas in the jewellery section and loads of really funky nightmare before christmas stuff came up . She is a big big fan so I know she'll love them

Many thanks!! There's loads of stuff on there!!

And I wish people would stop suggesting individual christmas cake ideas!! My dad always does the cake, my mum marzipans, and I ice and decorate. I LOVE the idea of little individual ones, and for the first time it's making me want to borrow his recipe and try it!! kingshir - yours sounds very simple though!!

I love the idea of doing a big square one then chopping it into 4 smaller ones. You're all trying to lead me astray to making more things!! lol

Maybe I should resist this year with the baby due in december!! lol

Clare x

kingshir

Talking of making individual xmas cakes:p I recently purchased one of those battery operated tin openers that take the complete top off the tin and have found that tuna tins (having been put through the dishwasher a couple of times:p) make great baking tins for mini cakes.

Having stolen the idea of a Fanatics Tea Hamper with a xmas cake included, from this thread I suddenly found I needed some little tins! I don't use little tins of baked beans etc which I know has been suggested before. The tins do have slight ridges in the sides but they cover easily with a ribbon or the usual marzipan/icing. I feel another baking fest coming on:rotfl:

cheesy*wotsit

Shevs wrote: »

...Bufger & Claire Bear My oh wants a hanya mask as a chest plate done, he loves japanese art and already has some japanese style tattoos and the bloke who did those tattoo's will be doing this one. He is extremely talented and would recomend him to anyone. Claire Bear I do live in the north Im from Manchester chick....

QUOTE]


Shevs, I live in Stockport and my OH keeps on going on about getting another tatt but the place where he got his last one has gone now. Any ideas for a good place that does vouchers? Ta.:p

cheesy*wotsit

chickywiggle wrote: »

sorry - didn't read as i expected - don't you hate it when that happens!! Meant I might add it to his nannas christmas list :rotfl: not for nanna obviously ......... ohhh I'm gonna stop before i confuse myself :rolleyes:


Todays bargins for the baskets:
some round tuits - 29p each (for anyone who has never heard of them this is the definition.....http://www.stosyth.gov.uk/images/editor/Sep03a-round-tuit.jpeg)

Tim Vine stand up DVD - 99p

Chickywiggle : where did you get your round tuits? My oh needs one of those... :rotfl: ta

fedupandskint

yippee_kye_yay wrote: »

it was in store. they were all inside the bigger one and wrapped in cellophane. tbh i didnt know what they were at 1st, just saw the price and thought the design looked nice so i pulled them open and realised it was a set of hatboxes!

FOUND THEM!!!!!! It took days to find them and at last I stumbled across them next to the bed storage boxes in the main store not the housey bit!

A bargain at £3.42 for 3 in a deep teal flock, I bought 2 lots for Christmas hampers!

Thanks for the tip off. Also got the chocolate coins on BOGOF and some lg quality street gold caramel things to go in the pots of gold (if I don't eat them first! Mr T had the first wave of christmas stuff in, it should all be in by the end of the month at this rate

Shevs

cheesy*wotsit wrote: »

Shevs wrote: »

...Bufger & Claire Bear My oh wants a hanya mask as a chest plate done, he loves japanese art and already has some japanese style tattoos and the bloke who did those tattoo's will be doing this one. He is extremely talented and would recomend him to anyone. Claire Bear I do live in the north Im from Manchester chick....

QUOTE]


Shevs, I live in Stockport and my OH keeps on going on about getting another tatt but the place where he got his last one has gone now. Any ideas for a good place that does vouchers? Ta.:p

My oh and I have both had all our tattoos done at tiger tattoos on washway road in sale by joe who works there, the last tattoo he did for oh was a half sleeve samurai with a waterfall, rocks and a cherry blossom tree in the background. The whole tattoo is black and grey but the cherry blossoms are done in pink but it makes the tattoo stand out so much. I'll try to get a pic up here of it but he really did do an amazing job here is the link for there website http://www.tigertattoos.eu/index.htm I'm not sure if they do gift vouchers though. My sister has also used Sacred Art in chorlton for a few of hers and they look amazing too!!! http://www.sacredarttattoo.co.uk/ x

chickywiggle

cheesy*wotsit wrote: »

Chickywiggle : where did you get your round tuits? My oh needs one of those... :rotfl: ta

home bargins. they are not identical to that piccie but are fab and in yellow, green, pink, blue....and orange i think.

might buy some more tomorrow and ebay em for 50p (prob be £1 p&p i'll work it out later) :j

cdsmiler

kingshir wrote: »

Talking of making individual xmas cakes:p I recently purchased one of those battery operated tin openers that take the complete top off the tin and have found that tuna tins (having been put through the dishwasher a couple of times:p) make great baking tins for mini cakes.

Having stolen the idea of a Fanatics Tea Hamper with a xmas cake included, from this thread I suddenly found I needed some little tins! I don't use little tins of baked beans etc which I know has been suggested before. The tins do have slight ridges in the sides but they cover easily with a ribbon or the usual marzipan/icing. I feel another baking fest coming on:rotfl:

That is a fab idea!!! Damn you and your cakes...... lol I'm glad I'm a bit under the weather today and really not up to baking!! lol

Clare x