Monday, November 2, 2009

Making Deborah Strange Land's Grandmother's Traditional Christmas Cake ...

... the recipe for which is here.


Stage 1: Shopping



Scary, innit. I've never made a Christmas cake before in my life, but there is a first time for everything.

Stay tuned.

11 comments:

Deborah said...

I hope it sings to you, gloriously.

iODyne said...

as HelenGarner might have said instead of the bed clause ...

"making up a Christmas cake for guests is such a privilege"
(don't forget to boil the little silver coins)
You'll be rewarded on the day.

The Devil Drink said...

I hope you're not planning on using that whole bottle in the cake.

librarygirl said...

I made pavlova and sausage rolls for the first time this year. Christmas cake - sounds hard.

Fred said...

The secret of a moist cake is the regular basting with LOTS of brandy once the cake has been baked.

Elisabeth said...

And of course you're making it on cue. The saying goes, Christmas puddings and cakes should be made on Melbourne Cup Day.

I made plum puddings once many years ago but the cloth in which they hung went moldy in the bathroom. I've never tried again since. Hopefully your fruitcake will far better

M-H said...

Take it from an old hand (albeit a little out of practice): open the large bottle on the left and take a good slug. Repeat at intervals during the process.

I am almost inspired to follow your lead this year. We shall see.

Deborah said...

From the instructions for my grandmother's cake:

carefully pour some brandy through it. Pour about 60mls into a small cup or shot glass, then using a teaspoon, dribble about 1/2 the brandy into the cake, and drink the rest yourself.

JahTeh said...

Elisabeth, make your puddings again but wrap and boil them in cellophane and they will never go mouldy. The cellophane gets tougher the longer it boils but the only downside is that you don't get the floury outside on the pudding.

skepticlawyer said...

You will excel, of this I have no doubt.

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

Deborah, I look forward to the singing. M-S, aren't the coins for p uddings, or do you put them in cake as well? DD, OF COURSE I'm going to drink some of it; perhaps I will buy another bottle. Librarygirl, I have a special affinity with pav for reasons I hope are obvious. Fred, see brandy remarks above. Elisabeth, I have never made a plum pudding but was the bathroom wise? -- surely a dry place would be the go? (JahTeh, v useful tip.) MH, really it is Deborah's lead and we are but her followers. SL, such faith! We hope to be worthy.

Next instalment will involve the soaking of fruit in brandy (settle down, DD) and my search through the food-and-cookbook shelves for instructions on proper cake decoration.

WV: fingsook