Quick query about making my own Christmas Cake

laurajayne

Yes, you need to use jam to stick the marzipan to the cake - most use apricot jam as it's not to strongly flavoured or coloured.

You don't have to wait to ice your cake afterwards anymore if you're using store bought marzipan - home made is rather oily, and this is what makes your icing discolour. Although, saying that, I still do, purely because after kneading the marzipan, I can't be bothered to then do the same to the icing!

When you come to ice the cake, brush the marzipan with boiled cooled water or a colourless spirit (I use vodka). Make sure that everywhere is covered, and you have no dry spots as these will cause an airbubble. Roll out your icing to 1/4 inch thick using icing sugar, and then lay the icing on the cake. Smooth in circular motions on the top, then lift and smooth the sides down....and viola! One perfectly iced cake

Mrs_Thrify

Thanks for your replies. I have marzipaned the cake and decided to ice it tomorrow with 24hours in between drying out time.

Kiwisaver_2

Does anyone have, or can point me in the direction of, a recipe for a tried and tested Genoa cake?

Would be much appreciated as I want to make a lightish fruit cake this Christmas rather than a rich dark one.

adsk

I love Genoa cake and I don't know why it's so difficult to find a good recipe. After much hunting I found this. It's delicious. I've made it a lot and it never fails to please. Just make sure you do use butter rather than margarine. I tend to use more cherries than suggested. This makes a big cake and could easily be halved for a smaller version.

8oz butter
8oz caster sugar
12oz self raising flour
4oz currants
4oz candied peel
4oz sultanas
4oz flaked
2oz glace cherries
4 eggs
1 wine glass of milk
a little lemon juice

Cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs and then the flour. Add fruit, milk, lemon juice. Pour into a cake tin and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 160c. Test after 1 1/2 hours - if a skewer comes out clean then it's ready.

Kiwisaver_2

Thanks so much! No buts here, it's gotta be butter.

Geeves1980

What size cake tin does this use?

Also how many mls of milk is a wine glass?

Agree it's really hard to find a recipe for genoa fruit cake, is it not a popular cake?

hurricanewyn

I've made my Christmas cake today from the Delia Smith recipe, but I've just realised that I left the treacle out. Have I ruined the cake, or is it salvageable?

motherkitty

I wouldn't worry if I were you. I have never put black treacle into a christmas cake recipe as I am too mean to buy a tin just for the sake of one spoonful! I don't know what it's purpose is in the mixture, although it seems to me it may only be for the colour, unless someone can put me right. My cakes have always been fine without it, I very much doubt that you are going to end up with a disaster.;)

touch*my*food*feel*myfork

Im with motherkitty, i never bother with it as its only a spoonful once a year.

hurricanewyn

Thanks both - I don't like fruitcake myself, it's for OH and DD - feel relieved now that they won't have to choke down something awful, because it's such an expensive cake to bake that I wasn't entirely sure I could bring myself to chuck the lot even if you'd all come back and told it was ruined:o