creating Christmas * day 5

The Christmas cake

I hate to rush myself but I do need to get a move on.  Having spent every day this week out and about for one event / appointment or another I need a day at home to gather my thoughts and stop them swirling around in my head.

And a bit of a tidy up in the house would be good – the vac has not been out of the cupboard all week.

So today is a day at home making the Christmas cake.  It is undoubtedly one of my favourite tasks for the wonderful aromas alone; the unmistakable smell of Christmas circulating the house.  I shouldn’t be, but I am nervous about the cake this year, although it is very much a tried and tested recipe the oven times in my new oven are far from tested and remain rather trying.   I can’t quite get the temperature or time right and last year it was slightly underdone.  DH ate it anyway, (he wouldn’t miss a chance for fruit cake) but I dismissed the idea of giving any to anyone else.

My recipe was, I think, from a Good Housekeeping Christmas magazine…a long time ago.  It is virtually organic; virtually, because the cloves and mixed spice in the ingredients list are hard to find (if they actually exist organically). 

I do prefer organically grown food even though it is hard on the budget, Sainsbury’s have a good range but some things have recently disappeared like their organic oranges so an ordinary one had to suffice.  I began using this recipe because it has chopped apricots instead of candied peel (of which none of us are a fan).

DH always helps me parcel it up now with brown paper and string – he was once a scout so can do a suitable knot. I make a dip in the middle to stop it rising too much and keep the top flat. So into the oven for a few hours and then the hard bit of deciding if it is done or not, I will err on the side of caution this year and go for slightly over done rather than underdone.

Once out of the oven and cooled it will be parcelled up and fed rather erratically, as in when I remember with a little tipple of brandy.  At some point I will marzipan the top (remembering the apricot jam this year to avoid a dash to the co-op for some), and then top it with some ready roll white icing.  I don’t bother with the sides as I hide everything under one of those traditional old fashioned cake frills.

It will be ready then for the grandchildren to put the decorations on, most likely when we are all together on Christmas Eve. We use the same little figures each year but I bought a new Santa this year as the old one looked a bit faded. I expect all four of them will join in this year – so that will be fun. Master Freddie had to decorate it all by himself last year as the other grandchildren were unwell and stayed at home.

Thank you Joy for your lovely comment and poem on my post Advent day 2 for anyone who didn’t see the comment here is the lovely little poem by Eleanor Farjeon, it will be copied into my journal for me to look back on.

How will you your Christmas keep?
Feasting, fasting or asleep?
Will you laugh or will you pray,
Or will you forget the day?

Be it kept with joy or pray’r,
Keep of either some to spare;
Whatsoever brings the day,
Do not keep but give away.

Have a lovely day everyone, back soon. X