Christmas Cake - missed ingredient

kah22

I had my first Christmas cake in the oven tonighf for about ten minutes when it struck me I hadn’t added the treacle. I’m using Delia Smith’s Recipe

OK so it’s not the end of the world but rather than giving it that dark coloured look will it affect the taste of the cake? My intention was to completely ice it

As I see it the cake is essentially a rich fruit cake and I’m wondering would it be best put by and just used as a fruit cake during February and March or just use it as a light Christmas cake

caronc

If you have followed the rest of the recipe it will be absolutely fine, the treacle adds colour as much as anything else. Give it a good soaking in the booze or juice of your choice in the run up and use as you had planned, I'm sure no one will notice the missing treacle as it's loaded with other tasty things and in the scale of the cake it's a teensy amount.

Callie22

It's only a dessertspoon of treacle in what is a large cake, so I really don't think that it will make too much difference. If you save the cake and feed it between now and Christmas then I'm sure it will be absolutely fine. I suspect that the treacle is in the recipe partly for colour and flavour but also to act as an humectant, so the cake may be a tiny bit drier, but I honestly doubt you'll notice. Just feed it well and no-one will notice

kah22

Thanks for the re assurance, I had been thinking along those lines myself.

At this time of the year I generally bake a few, one for myself and others for family members. I’ll keep this one.

Feeding it - I’m renowned for feeding my cakes 🥃 🥃 🥃

CapricornLass

I missed the treacle out of the cake for several years running (because I kept forgetting to buy the stuff!)

Nobody noticed.

VfM4meplse

Treacle is a bit of a waste anyway, the dark stuff is just bitter.

I’m a compulsive feeder too....but am careful who I share it with now! A few years ago I was told that my Christmas cake burned someone’s lips! How bizarre is that?!