When should you start making your Christmas fruitcake?

There is conflicting advice online about how far in advance of Christmas the cake should be made. Some suggest six weeks is sufficient whereas others say that twelve weeks is best.

Some experts say while opinions on the "maturing" of Christmas are partly an issue of personal taste, for the rich fruit type of Christmas cakes, its best to bake them them up to two or three months ahead of Christmas. This gives you plenty of time to let it mature and 'feed' your Christmas cake regularly as the big day approaches.

Experts reveal that giving it a good amount of time to firm up will also improve the flavour and appearance when the time comes to slice your cake - if you eat your Christmas cake too soon after baking it, you will find that it crumbles. While it’s still fine to start your bake closer to Christmas, you will simply have less of a 'kick' as you will have less time to feed it with rum, brandy, or sherry.

Here’s a recipe you can try.

Boiled fruit cake

Ingredients

500g cake fruit mix

125g butter

250ml sugar

5ml mixed spice

3ml cinnamon

5ml bicarbonate of soda

375ml cold water

125ml cherries halved

500ml flour

5ml baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

125ml strong brewed coffee

60ml brandy

Method

Combine fruit mix, butter, sugar, spices, bicarbonate of soda, and water in a pot.

Boil gently for 25 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the stove and pour into a glass bowl.

Add the cherries. Allow cooling completely.

Once cooled, add the flour, baking powder, and eggs and mix until combined.

Pour into a lined, 18cm cake tin and secure double newspaper or brown paper around the outside with string so that the cake is well protected from too much direct heat.

Bake at 160°C for 60-90 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove.

Meanwhile, combine the hot coffee and brandy. Pour over the hot cake and allow it to cool in the tin.

Remove and wrap the cake in foil and store it in an airtight container.

https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/food-drink/recipes/when-should-you-start-making-your-christmas-fruitcake-3fad745c-4253-45b2-9439-d959378017c0