There's Still Time To Make A Christmas Cake

Do you have fond memories of your Grandma making her traditional Christmas cake months in advance? Have all your friends already made theirs, and are they now feeding it every couple of weeks with alcohol, in preparation for marzipan around now and then icing in the last week before Christmas? 

If all of this sounds familiar and you are feeling mildly inadequate because you haven’t even thought about baking a Christmas cake yet, fear not, because there's still plenty of time to rustle up something amazing for Christmas Day. So get those baking tins ready, as we show you how to wow your Christmas guests with a cake that everyone will enjoy.

A no-fuss alternative to the traditional Christmas Cake

If you love the tradition of Christmas cake, but you don’t have the time to start it in October, this simple recipe is for you:

Ingredients:

Pre-soaked ingredients

400gms mincemeat
200gms dried fruit (sultanas, currants, raisins) 100gms chopped prunes 50gms glace cherries, cut into small pieces 50gms mixed peel, cut into small pieces 200ml of brandy

Cake

250g self-raising flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 large, free-range eggs
2 tsp mixed spice
160g butter, allowed to soften
160g dark brown sugar
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
50g chopped nuts
50g Brazil nuts, chopped

Method

1. The night before you plan to bake the cake, put all of the pre-soaked ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour over the brandy. Stir well, and cover with a cloth.
2. The next morning, preheat the oven to 180°, then take a large mixing bowl and add all of the pre-soaked ingredients along with the main cake ingredients. Beat all of these ingredients together using an electric whisk.
3. Grease and line your baking tin and pour the mixture in. Cover the cake mixture with a piece of greaseproof paper, doubled over and with a hole cut in the centre.
4. Place the baking tin in the centre of the oven and bake for around 2 hours. When the cake is cooked, the middle of it should be springy to the touch.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the baking tin for half an hour before turning the cake out onto a cooling rack.
6. Once the cake is cooled, you can add marzipan and icing. Don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s essential to make your own marzipan and icing if you don’t have time. These days, there are some very good ready-made alternatives. All you have to do is cover the cake with a layer of apricot jam, then press the marzipan onto the cake firmly.
7. Once the marzipan is in place, repeat the process for the ready-made icing.
8. Add some festive cake-toppers and a big red ribbon and hey presto, you have a Christmas cake to be proud of. 

Alternative Christmas Cakes

Whilst some people love a traditional Christmas cake and couldn’t imagine the festive season without one, others aren’t so keen on nuts, marzipan or oh so sweet icing. For those people, we have some suggestions for alternative cakes to make at this time of year. All of them are fairly simple, and they don’t require a lot of fancy baking equipment either.

Our first suggestion has to be a Yule log, of course. It’s a million miles from a traditional Christmas cake, but is no less tasty and no less a symbol of Christmas. If you have lots of children around at Christmas time, a lovely chocolate Yule log is likely to be far more popular with them than a traditional Christmas cake, so it’s well worth baking one to have to hand over the festive period.

Another great idea is to go all-out contemporary and bake a naked cake, then add the lightest dusting of icing sugar on the top and sides and finish it off with a layer of icing on the very top. For decoration, consider some cranberries and sprigs of fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme. Use mixed spice, along with zest of orange and lemon to add a Christmassy feel to your naked sponge and flavour your buttercream with just a hint of ginger or nutmeg.

Hopefully, today’s blog post has given you some enthusiasm for getting those baking tins out and making a last-minute Christmas cake to be proud of. Whether you go for a traditional cake or something a little more modern, none of the ideas we’ve suggested requires a lot of baking equipment or special skills to make and all of them will be well received on Christmas Day.

And if you do make your own Christmas cake, you’ll have an extra gift - the satisfaction that comes with seeing people enjoy your homemade bakes!

Do you have some favourite Christmas recipes that you turn to each and every Christmas? Why not share your festive recipes with us, as we love to hear from our customers and friends. Get in touch via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!