Old style Preparations for Christmas 2010!!

[Deleted User]

If I can find the recipe (I know I have it somewhere ) I will make some tiny Christmas cakes.about the size of a small tin of baked beans (they used to be baked in small empty ones back in the 1970s)They are then iced and decorated and given to my friends and neighbours who live alone.Great little gift as if like me you live alone and a big Christmas cake would be wasted.Off to look for the recipe.

Mini Christmas Cakes
This recipe is enough to make about 12 small cakes made in small baked bean tins. It can be made in a 10" square large tin and be cut to make smaller cakes.

9oz Plain Flour
6oz Brown Sugar 2lb mixed fruit,
4-6 ozs glace cherries (chopped and folded in 1ozs of plain flour)
2 ozs almonds (optional)
2oz Caster Sugar
6 Eggs
8oz Butter (room temperature)
I tbls Black treacle
1 tsp Vanilla essence
2 Tbls of Brandy(Optional) but worth it if you want to give it a bit of a kick
Juice of a lemon
Preheat Oven at 150ºC/200ºF Gas Mark


You will need to collect 12 small Baked bean or similar small can and wash thoroughly. If the can has had a pull tab on it you will have been left with a small rim so you need to cut out the bottom of the can. Turn the can upside down and the bottom will now rest on the rim around the top, like a normal cake tin.( Be careful as the can bottom is likely to be sharp).
Line each can as you would a normal cake tin using greaseproof paper, making the side paper come up 5cm/2" above the sides of the cans.
Place the Black Treacle in a bowl to warm in the oven.

Using a wooden spoon, cream the butter and both the sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs a little at a time and then add the combined sifted flour and spices, beating well to make sure that everything is combined.
Now add all the fruit, cherries and almonds (if including) and stir well, then add the final ingredients, the warmed treacle, vanilla essence, juice of the lemon and the brandy, again stir well.
Spoon the mixture into the cans, there should be enough for 12 cans. Place the cans on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven. Cook for approximately 1½hrs. Check after an hour, (as the cakes are small and ovens vary it is worth checking on them after an hour)
Turn out when cooled and decorate with a thin layer of marzipan then icing on top and fasten Christmassy ribbon around the side .A nice little gift to give and a bit more than just a card for your neighbours .

SeaBee

I made my individual Christmas cakes in baked bean tins. They were just the right size for one person.

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Bitsy_Beans

v8monkeyboy wrote: »

I'm currently making and therefore giving away:

Jams
Marmelades
Pickled eggs and onions
Chutneys
Pickled beetroot
Cordials
Fruit vodka
Ginger beer
Fruit wine
Heather ale
Chocolates
Chocolate spoons
Mustards
Vinegars
Roast peppers in oil
Jellies
Cakes - fruit
Biscuits
Scarves
Socks

All of the above homemade.

What are Chocolate Spoons? Are they stirrers with a sphere of chocolate on the end??

Wee_Pilsbury

freyasmum wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: That's my style


Thanks very much - guess what I'll be doing at the weekend

Don't forget, you have 8 fingers and two thumbs - it would be less than thorough if you didn't test the mixture with ALL of them

freyasmum

Wee_Pilsbury wrote: »

Don't forget, you have 8 fingers and two thumbs - it would be less than thorough if you didn't test the mixture with ALL of them

You're bad

JackieO wrote: »

Mini Christmas Cakes
This recipe is enough to make about 12 small cakes made in small baked bean tins. It can be made in a 10" square large tin and be cut to make smaller cakes.

Thank you Jackie!

My aunt LOVES christmas pudding. I think I'm gonna make her up some of these.

Do they have to be made in advance like the big ones, and if so, how far? Novice christmas cake maker

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

What are Chocolate Spoons? Are they stirrers with a sphere of chocolate on the end??

They're spoons, generally plastic, which have been dipped in chocolate. They're usually sold in the extortionate little sets that conveniently appear around Christmas time to stir into coffee.

A gift might have a coffee cup, a few stirrers and some nice coffee and biscuits - maybe some biscotti? I'm not a coffee drinker, I don't know what goes best. Wrapped in cellophane (dunno if anyone noticed, but it's a fave of mine :A ) and maybe some shredded tissue paper and it's a pretty little gift.

[Deleted User]

freyasmum I usually make them around mid-November mainly because its easier to buy the decorations for the cake ribbon ect then . Wilkinsons are quite cheap for cake dekky bits if you have one near you.

Owl

Going to make various chutneys etc and wrap them, along with a small x-mas cake and pud - Delia's does 5 mini puds and 4 mini cakes.

Got friends collecting jars for chutneys. Saw the cookie/muffin mix thing today - £7.99 a jar, made 18 cookies and you had to add your own butter, eggs etc...... Mmmm, having a go at making them I feel!!

Owl x

Patchwork_Quilt

Will be watching this thread with interest. Amongst our family and friends, home-made gifts are like Marmite - people either love them or are definitely unimpressed by the effort. The most surprising one was my brother, who was into clubbing and exotic holidays, raving about my blackberry jam.

This year, I'll be giving home made fudge to female friends as a treat, crocheted blankets to a couple of people who like snuggling up in front of the tv and preserves to my brother. I try not to give people the kind of thing that they make for themselves. One of our best presents is a traditional, home made Christmas pudding from a friend, which I return with a batch of shortbread.

MrsRogers

After reading the preparing for Winter Thread - which incidentally I thought was Fab It really got me thinking about Christmas.
So I have :

1. Made a list of everyone need to buy Xmas Prezzie for & set budget
2.Been saving £40 per month especially for Xmas presants (Since Jan)so decided maybe time to start buying.
3. Going to activley look out for good buys on alcahol / dried / jar stuff with long dates.:beer:
4. Planted Xmas potatoes ready :-)
5. Hubby & I have already set parents & inlaws expectations re plans for Xmas Day / Boxing Day etc
6. Decided on my week off next week to make some chutneys ready for homemade presents.

What has everybody else been doing ready for Xmas.. I have NEVER been this organised before and feeling quite proudof myself however would love some more ideas

137 days to go or for me & hubby 4 more pay months :eek:



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notjustlaura

Gosh, you're organised! My forward planning gets as far as 'Holiday in November - wheee!' and then stops!

Ideally, I'd have spent the year knitting suitable gifts for everyone. As it is I know roughly who I'm buying for and roughly what I'll spend but don't have money set aside for it. My sister's just started a new job in Southampton (we live in Glasgow) and so there will be no planning of festivities till we know what (if any!) holidays she's getting.

Happy planning, everyone!

Laura