It is October, the clocks will go back at the end of the month and it is time to plan for the festive season. Soon we shall thrill to the smell of Christmas Cakes baking with their rich aroma of fruit, nuts and spices, wonderful.
As with most things in life the Christmas cake is worth planning ahead for, even folks who don’t plan to bake their own would do well to order theirs early from one of our excellent local cake shops.
However, for those traditionalists out there it is time to think about some key facts, how large a cake do you need, are you likely to be feeding ever hungry youngsters or is a smaller cake suitable for a few people enough for your needs? This matters because of having to buy, and carry home the ingredients, and because the shops may run short as we get closer to Christmas.
Folks who have gluten or similar intolerances may need to take steps to ensure having safe ingredients well in advance.
Are you making one cake, or several as Christmas gifts or for those more needy folks who cannot make their own? Once the logistics are sorted the next step is acquiring the materials.
In Bolton we are lucky in having a number of High Street suppliers who can supply pre-washed fruit, glace cherries (yum), nuts and of course flour, butter, eggs, all-spice, whatever is needed and in the right quantities, some will even drop it all off at home for you. Some help mixing will no doubt be welcome as it is heavy work, why not invite the family around for a mix-in, stirring a cake allows you to make a wish, more helpers, more wishes, less hard work.
Next step, bake the cake/s early. It is wise with fruit cakes to allow them to mature for three or four weeks, we suggest a small taster cake so that the main one is not consumed before the big day.
Once the baking is completed and there is no heat at all left in it the decorating can be started. Coat the top of the cake with a thin layer of jam, nothing special just shop bought jam, to glue the almond paste onto the cake. It is easy to obtain ready-made almond paste ready-rolled for those who like the taste, there is no need to make your own when the local shop can save you the bother. In addition, the same shop will have readymade fondant icing, all that you need to do is cut it to size, add decoration to it, eat the left over almond paste and icing – the kids (of all ages) will love it.
All that remains to be done now is hide the cake/s away so that no one is tempted to cut off a slice or two. By Christmas the cake should be perfect, all the hard work is behind you so it’s time for some fun.
If you need any help or advice, or tools to make your Christmas Cake, visit Cake & Decorate in Bolton Market and they can offer their support and tips!
