Christmas Cake

I have never made a Christmas cake, my Mum used to until recent years and we are going to her this year so I think it would be nice for me to make her cake this year.

Can anyone suggest a recipe please? We don't need a huge one though. Also, when would I need to make it by? I hate marzipan but Mum likes it but is there anything that can be used as a substitute?

Ta

i just type in christmas cake in to google and then picked one lked

I make my own cake every year and some for family members too! I do have a recipe but will have to try and type it out later or if you PM me your e-mail address I will e-mail you the file It is actually a recipe my step Mum used for years and I stole it

I actually baked our xmas cakes yesterday but I think the norm is 4-6 weeks before you plan to eat it. I usually do ours mid November but did them early this year as I am not going to have much free time once DH goes away with work on Saturday until mind November so wanted to get them done and out of the way

I dont have an alternative to marzipan as I love the stuff, but maybe you could just use marzipan on half the cake and decorate each side different so you know which has marzipan and which doesn't

A fellow cnt mama gave me a fabulous recipe by sainsburys! @monkeyhanger

It's so moist! The earlier you make it the longer you have to 'feed' it with booze! I don't like alcoholic Christmas cakes so although I use brandy in the original recipe I don't add anymore after cooking.
Last year I made it mid November and it was fine!

You could always ice it without marzipan but you'd have to do that fairly last minute as I think without marzipan the cake can stain through the icing.

I use Delia's recipe. My mum hates marzipan so I just omitted it from her cake and just iced it. Homemade marzipam is very very different to the nasty yellow coloured shop bought stuff though.

ETA I make mine in the last week of October usually and then "feed" it with brandy every week until the week before Xmas when I make the marzipan and icing and ice it.

I have a Rusty Lee recipe its light coloured. If you wanted to make it you would have to start soon as you have to soak the fruit in rum for a few weeks you don't have to put marzipan on Christmas cake its a personal taste thing.
I have made my cakes from this recipe for the last 6 years and it seems to be fairly fool proof. If you are interested I'll scan the recipe and post it for you.

My Christmas cake is currently in the oven (late in the year I know!) but I have a timing question. The cake was too big for us last year so I have put less into the cake tin, the remainder is in a loaf tin making a mini cake for my friend so do I need to adjust my cooking times? The cake needs 4.5+ hrs to bake normally.

@Caroline @Louise

@shaunie

What size tin have you got it in and what's the temperature? You need to bake it until a cake tester comes out clean. For a 20cm/8in tin, that can be 2.5 - 3 hours at 130c (ish)

My teeny cake took slightly less time than the bigger one but not much. I'd keep checking the smaller one after about 2/3 - 3/4 of the recommended cooking time.