Recipe for Christmas Cake

Pink.

Hi Mrs E,

This thread will show you what recipes other Old Stylers use:

Recipe for Christmas Cake

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the suggestions and recipes together.

Pink

snowleopard61

My late mum's, as always, from the recipe written in her handwriting, splashed with traces of the ingredients from my many years of baking it, and ending with her note to me 'Kisses and the best of luck with the cake', from the first time my parents came to us for Christmas instead of vice versa, about 25 years ago.:)

scottishminnie

snowleopard61 wrote: »

My late mum's, as always, from the recipe written in her handwriting, splashed with traces of the ingredients from my many years of baking it, and ending with her note to me 'Kisses and the best of luck with the cake', from the first time my parents came to us for Christmas instead of vice versa, about 25 years ago.:)

Snowleopard, I've got a lump in my throat reading your post. I hope seeing the note each year brings you happy memories.

mmmsnow

I inherited a wonderful recipe from my old home economics teacher. It looks like it was typed using one of the first typewriters and has been photocopied so many times, the writing has a wonderful faded texture. Doesn't help that it also has 25 years worth of Christmas cake stains on it too!

VfM4meplse

natlie wrote: »

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb plain flour
• A good pinch of salt
• 1/4 level tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 level tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 level tsp. mixed spice
• 1 1/2 oz. margarine vegan
• 8 oz. soft brown sugar
• 8 oz. sultanas
• 6 oz. currants
• 5 oz. raisins
• 1 oz. finely chopped candied peel or cranberries
• 2 oz. glac! cherries or dried cherries
• grated rind of a lemon
• 1/2 pt. water
• 3/4 level tsp. bicarbonate of soda

Grease tin and line with greaseproof paper to come an inch above sides of tine. Brush paper with oil. Sift together flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice. Rub in margarine, then mix in brown sugar. Mix all fruit and grated lemon rind together, and stir into the mixture. Make a hollow in the centre of the mixture, pour in the water, and stir in lightly. Warm 2 tbsp. of water slightly and pour over the bicarbonate of soda, then stir it thoroughly into the mixture (without actually beating).
Turn mixture into prepared tin. Bake cake in moderate oven, about 350°F (180°C) for an hour, then reduce heat to 325°F (160°C) for a further hour or until the cake is cooked. Feed it booze after is has cooked every week until you ice it

Thank you! :T:T:T. Will need to multiply up the quantities 6 fold(?) as I have over 4kg of fruit soaking. It will keep us regular until well into the NY lol.

I had googled a recipe a while back that had recommended using cider vinegar :eek: with the bicarb and was very wary of this, so will use yours instead. But just 40g of shortening to 300g of flour, is this correct? Also a little wary of the qty of bicarb, have tried this before with banana & walnut bread and ended up with and expensive but inedibly salty result.

Got off my a*se and bought the baking parchment this evening , so I guess it'll be this weekend .

Middy

My mum makes Delia's mincemeat cake from her Christmas book. She sticks on blanched almonds on top instead of icing.

PixieDust

When DH makes it, he uses his Mum's family recipe. When I do it, I use a recipe from an old Sainsbugs cake recipe book. It was the only one I ever used out of the book so eventually I tore it out, lobbed thebook and out the recipe in a polywallet in our recipe folder

tigerliz

I usually make a Guiness cake (christmas cake mix with Guiness instead of brandy etc) but last time i made it I fed it a bit too much and it turned into more booze than fruit oops

This year I have chosen the easy option and bought the Mary Berry Christmas cake mix...it might sound like a cheat but I costed the ingredients (and yes if I bought them all separately no doubt there would be some left over to make something else but I'm not a fan of the dried fruit or peel) and it worked out cheaper. I am making this one to cut into nine separate mini cakes for Christmas food hampers so it works out at around £1 each. :T

totallybored

I'm rubbish at baking large cakes (am excellent at cupcakes tho!) so have bought a half price M&S one a few weeks ago.

How much does it actually cost to make an Xmas cake? I always look at recipes and think that there are an awful lot of ingredients.

Lippycow

I made Delia's for the first time last year and it was gorgeous the best cake i have ever tasted, so doing it again this year and feeding it with Jameson Irish Whiskey:-)