I think this is probably only the second Christmas cake I've ever made. I feel that I need a houseful of people to justify making one, not least because the alternative means I end up eating 90% of the cake myself. This is something not recommended for the waistline nor for the taste buds - guaranteed to make you very happy not to see another slice for a whole year.
However, I'm hoping that my Christmas guests will find space to squeeze in a slice an appropriate amount of time after lunch on the big day, with other visitors and house guests arriving before the year is out helping to consume what remains.
I made the cake back in November and have been feeding it with rum in the weeks since. The cake isn't a traditional recipe but a fruit cake with lots of grated cooking apples in it. This means that it's very moist, further assisted with the rum. In fact, I seem to recall that I rather overloaded it with brandy the last time I made it. The evidence being that a thick, sticky liquid managed to ooze out between the icing and the cake board. It was tasty but rather unsightly, to say the least!
I'm hoping I've not over-done it with the rum but have made two other changes this year in an attempt to prevent a re occurrence of the 'great ooze'. The first is to put it on a plate, which means there is a slight lip to stop any liquid that may drip out from spilling everywhere. It may even help it to run back under the cake to be reabsorbed - I can but hope! The second is that I have decided not to ice the sides.
When I was little, the best thing about Christmas cake was always the marzipan and icing but now I find it a bit too sweet and sickly. I've therefore just put the marzipan and icing on the top. I'm nervous this may make the cake dry out but am hoping the apple and rum will mean this won't happen, further helped by the cat-proof tin that I'm obliged to keep it in. You may think that a cat wouldn't like Christmas cake but that would be because you haven't met my cat. With her, pretty much anything goes, apart from vegetables and then she will probably have a bit of a lick if they've been cooked in something she does like - butter, oil, stock, milk, cream, the oven...
As for the decoration, I've gone for a Christmas tree made of sweets with chocolate coins to decorate the sides. I'm very happy with the results and enjoyed listening to a radio play as I calmly put it all together. I'm imagining this is the calm before the storm and am relishing every moment.
Let's just hope I can channel some of this tranquillity whilst making the turkey stuffing tomorrow and when trying to get it all cooked and on the table at the same time on the Big Day.
I wish you a very calm and relaxing Christmas, whatever you are doing, and if that's just not feasible (or desirable), let it be merry, joyous and bright!
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