It is years since I made a Christmas cake. I stopped because I was the only one eating it, and very good it was too. I have never made puddings. I made mince pies once. I don’t like them, and do not understand why every event in December provides them. Mine were not nice, especially in comparison with my mother-in-law’s, who supplied a tin full until Mr P had to give up eating them for health reasons.
So no food preparation here. I’m invited out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so will need to have something in for the weekend.
I used to make the family Christmas cake for many years, when there were regularly 10-15 extended family and friends at the table, using an old recipe handed down from a great-aunt, so the recipe was probably over 100 years old even then! But they are all gone now so I haven't made the cake for around 30 years.
Mr Heavenly used to make a Christmas cake but lacks time these days; he promises this year will be different though. I want to make some panettone, it’s been on my list for a while. I always make a giant chocolate log, I think this year it will be orange curd favoured. I decorate the log with tacky plastic figures which gives me great joy!
I do bake lots of other Christmas food, often savoury such as a giant sausage roll made from veal or venison mince for Christmas teatime and a mushroom version for the veggies. This year we have decided to make game pie for Boxing Day and I have ordered an ox tongue so Mr Heavenly can make pressed tongue.
I went to the town Christmas Fair today. The two things I will never forget were the very tiny ginger grater for $25.00 buy four and get a fifth one free, and a coat made out of can pull tabs. I did not ask the price on that one.
I went to the town Christmas Fair today. The two things I will never forget were the very tiny ginger grater for $25.00 buy four and get a fifth one free, and a coat made out of can pull tabs. I did not ask the price on that one.
My Thanksgiving plans were for just three of us,my son and his girlfriend. My son just asked if he could add two young men to the mix who have no plans. Of course, throw a couple of more potatoes in the pot and add a leaf to my tiny table. The Turkey is plenty large enough, and it will be easy to increase other things. My son and his girlfriend are bringing extra sides and pies. I am looking forward to a fuller table.
I used to make the family Christmas cake for many years, when there were regularly 10-15 extended family and friends at the table, using an old recipe handed down from a great-aunt, so the recipe was probably over 100 years old even then! But they are all gone now so I haven't made the cake for around 30 years.
My Thanksgiving plans were for just three of us,my son and his girlfriend. My son just asked if he could add two young men to the mix who have no plans. Of course, throw a couple of more potatoes in the pot and add a leaf to my tiny table. The Turkey is plenty large enough, and it will be easy to increase other things. My son and his girlfriend are bringing extra sides and pies. I am looking forward to a fuller table.
That speaks well of you @Graven Image, and of your son.
I used to make the family Christmas cake for many years, when there were regularly 10-15 extended family and friends at the table, using an old recipe handed down from a great-aunt, so the recipe was probably over 100 years old even then! But they are all gone now so I haven't made the cake for around 30 years.
Do you still have the recipe?
Yes, probably somewhere! I remember it needed baking on a very low temp for about 4 hours.
Darllenwr’s nephew and partner live in Australia. They both love Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and say that the Ozzie version doesn’t taste the same. We therefore buy a couple of big bars to send out. The postage is in lieu of a present.
My mother used to make a crushed pineapple cake.
Mr Heavenly used to make a Christmas cake but lacks time these days; he promises this year will be different though. I want to make some panettone, it’s been on my list for a while. I always make a giant chocolate log, I think this year it will be orange curd favoured. I decorate the log with tacky plastic figures which gives me great joy!
I do bake lots of other Christmas food, often savoury such as a giant sausage roll made from veal or venison mince for Christmas teatime and a mushroom version for the veggies. This year we have decided to make game pie for Boxing Day and I have ordered an ox tongue so Mr Heavenly can make pressed tongue.
I’ll make stollen a few weeks before Christmas, and as it gets closer to the day, the various cookies that are expected. For Christmas dinner, I always bake individual gingerbread cakes, which are served with an apple cider caramel sauce.
But first I need to bake chocolate chess pie and pecan pie for Thanksgiving.
I used to have a delicious looking crushed pineapple cake, but only came across it when cans of crushed pineapple had inexplicably disappeared from the supermarkets.
I remembered having seen them previously, but had not noticed their going until I needed some and couldn't find it - and never have, in at least 20 years.
I used to have a delicious looking crushed pineapple cake, but only came across it when cans of crushed pineapple had inexplicably disappeared from the supermarkets.
I remembered having seen them previously, but had not noticed their going until I needed some and couldn't find it - and never have, in at least 20 years.
Oh dear! We still have them, and use them when we make ham with rice and pineapple. But the cake sounds delicious.
I used to have a delicious looking crushed pineapple cake, but only came across it when cans of crushed pineapple had inexplicably disappeared from the supermarkets.
I remembered having seen them previously, but had not noticed their going until I needed some and couldn't find it - and never have, in at least 20 years.
Presumably a pineapple and a meat tenderiser can be combined to similar effect? And have therapeutic benefits.
Too messy, too much cleaning of work surfaces, walls etc. afterwards.
I briefly contemplated a food processor, but had no idea what the different ratios would be between liquid & pulp in the various canned pineapple products. I think that would matter in a cake.
Too late to worry about that now, the recipe book is long gone.
I'm loving everyone's reports of their Christmas cake making and I'm relieved that I don't have to make industrial sized quantities of cakes. The two I planned to bake are now successfully out of their tins, wrapped and the one to be posted has a nice tin to protect it on it's journey. Dashed out early yesterday to get the tin and fortunately it is deep enough for the cake I made. I'll try to get that posted by the end of the week and purchase some stamps for Christmas cards.
I've started to think about gifts, I have less than 10 to buy, and I'm already looking online and have asked the kids to provide some suggestions for us. Cash would be easiest, but not as much fun to unwrap on the day.
@Cherry Gardener Clever ways to gift wrap cash include creating a continuous stream of bills from a hidden roll in a small box, folding money into origami flowers or a "money tree," or hiding it in a fun, unexpected container like a balloon to be popped or a candy box. Another option is a "scavenger hunt" style gift with bills hidden throughout the house.
I love those ideas @Graven Image, I'll show them to Cheery husband as he can probably help me with implementation. We have polymer notes which are a bit slippery and might require some kind of sticking together to make a roll, but I love the sound of that. I'll have to factor posting the items too, as I think that will make sure they are received on time, which I only just thought about. The weirdest thing since covid is thinking about dealing with cash, as we hardly use it at all now, doing electronic banking or paying on card. However, I do think little kids like to get actual money that they can hand over to the cashier after selecting something for themselves.
Last night I suddenly remembered Advent candles, which I've omitted for the past couple of years. I have the holders and need to see if I can buy the necessary blue and pink ones in town tomorrow. Past experience has shown that I'm probably too late.
Regarding Christmas cake, as I believe I've said before at around this time of year, I never make one as I'm the only person who eats it and the last person who should. Ditto mince pies. It makes me a bit nostalgic for Christmas Past, though, when making the cake in advance, and the mince pies on Christmas Eve, were a big part of it.
When my father-in-law retired, he decided to take some "cookery for men" lessons as, like many of his generation, he had relied on his wife to provide meals. Everyone thought that his Christmas cake was delicious and he gained the job of producing a number each year for family and friends - a tradition which continued until his death.
My Christmas cards arrived in today's post, so I can now begin to make out a list. It will be a modest one, as my Family is distinctly ungood at sending cards, preferring to rely on emails, WhatsApp, and other necromantic ways of communicating...
When leaving Tesco's this morning, I noticed that another customer had bought a neat little Nativity scene, apparently made of wood. I must remember to have a look at one of these, next time I'm in the store, as a replacement for my little plastic Nativity scene (dating back to the 1950s!), which is missing one of the Shepherds.
Meanwhile, FatherInCharge's fearsomely long list of 'Christmass' services has been added to Our Place's website. It's very much the mixture as before, though there was some talk of bringing the Christmas Eve Crib Service, and the Midnight Mass, forward to earlier hours. Attendances at most of the Christmas services since Covid have alas! been very poor.
My sister-in-law said the main thing she wanted for Christmas was a nice card. Having looked in the shops and found nothing inspiring, I suddenly remembered that I have a handy child about the place. He and I have made one a bit like this which I am hoping will be the source of much enchuffment. (I had glittery paper in the house so ours is shinier than the one in the picture.) It needs to get all the way to California, so we'll post it tomorrow.
I've had my first Christmas card but as it came with a plea to support the organisation it was from I'm not sure that it counts. It's a nice card anyway.
My Christmas cake fell apart when I took it out of the tin. I've bunged the wreckage in the freezer and it'll be defrosted and become a misshapen Christmas pudding instead. The tree has been ordered and will arrive the week after next and I have decided on what the main meal will be, a light nut roast with harissa sauce. Other than that I'm ignoring it all at the moment.
Does anyone else prefer puff pastry mince pies? I think I find them to be less heavy than shortcrust ones, mincemeat is already quite heavy!
@Cheery Gardener flouring the blades of your scissors (only halfway up the blades so flour doesn't get as far as the mechanical bits) helps dried/glacé fruit to not stick to them. Since you toss the fruit in flour anyway so they don't sink in the cake, it works very well.
I prefer an un-iced Christmas cake with cheese. Since I live alone I plan on getting a small gift cake Waitrose is selling decorated with glacé fruit and nuts. Once I had a really fantastic homemade Christmas pudding which has rather spoiled me for all shop-bought versions since then, but I don't have a freezer so no point in trying to make individual ones for myself. For me at least, Christmas pudding is something I only want once or twice across the whole festive season. Mince pies aren't far behind, though rich fruit cake is a good snack for long walks because it tolerates being squashed in a pocket - that gets eaten occasionally year-round.
I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas pudding either, I tend to prefer lighter dishes. I would definitely be on for puff pastry mince pies too.
I love Christmas and cooking (after a day staring at essays on a computer I find cooking to be a welcome relief and therapeutic) so we make lots of fancy savoury dishes over the holiday. Mr Heavenly also cooks (he is the baker of the house) so we try to outdo each other. Him making pressed tongue probably wins on obscurity though.
The first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album
The first Amy Grant Christmas album
An array of Parry Gripp Christmas songs (they’re delightfully weird, like “Roy the Christmas Potato,” below)
At a grocery store that has international stuff called world market (they have other stuff besides food, but I just go for the food) I picked up some small imported mince pies, which I have never had. They had Christmas pudding too but I didn’t want to overspend just so I could say that I’d eaten it.
Diabetes is really common, you’d think I could get a low carb or reduced sugar Christmas pudding, can I buggery. I can find them free from virtually anything else - gluten, milk, animal products, alcohol but not reduced sugar.
I know it is possible to make lower sugar recipes, other years I have been able to buy low sugar or low carb versions but there seems to be absolutely nothing this year.
The first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album
The first Amy Grant Christmas album
An array of Parry Gripp Christmas songs (they’re delightfully weird, like “Roy the Christmas Potato,” below)
The first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album has long been a firm favourite here and the second almost as much. Their musicians are a constant delight and I never tire of them. And of course, being from Nebraska, the Danish Lutheran farming side of the family approves of them.
One of the most trying Christmases ever was the one when my late father-in-law played the same CD of Messiah six times in the week before Christmas. He never tired of that, either.
Diabetes is really common, you’d think I could get a low carb or reduced sugar Christmas pudding, can I buggery. I can find them free from virtually anything else - gluten, milk, animal products, alcohol but not reduced sugar.
I know it is possible to make lower sugar recipes, other years I have been able to buy low sugar or low carb versions but there seems to be absolutely nothing this year.
I can find a couple of keto versions sold online for about £20 plus postage each 😱 I wonder if a local bakery that offers keto options would have one for sale.
I have to say that I find Christmas pudding too sweet more than anything else, so a low sugar version sounds interesting - I wonder if something akin to a fruity nut roast (or maybe a flourless cake using egg whites and ground nuts) would be better than an analogue to a "normal" Christmas pudding made with artificial sweetener.
Years ago I made a reduced sugar one from scratch, and it worked fine. It was still somewhat sweet - it wouldn’t be ok to have loads - but standard recipes are literally about 40 percent sugar.
It’s the same in restaurants, they’ll have a gluten free menu and worry about allergens - but can’t even put a no added sugar fruit salad on the dessert menu.
@Pomona do you have a link for the keto one you found ?
That was exactly what I was looking for @Pomona, thank you so much. They are ridiculously expensive always - but my Dad really loves Christmas pudding and I want him to be able to have some.
Comments
So no food preparation here. I’m invited out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, so will need to have something in for the weekend.
I do bake lots of other Christmas food, often savoury such as a giant sausage roll made from veal or venison mince for Christmas teatime and a mushroom version for the veggies. This year we have decided to make game pie for Boxing Day and I have ordered an ox tongue so Mr Heavenly can make pressed tongue.
Do you still have the recipe?
Thank you, but I consider the extra ones at the table a gift to me.
Yes, probably somewhere! I remember it needed baking on a very low temp for about 4 hours.
They make ideal Christmas presents...
My mother used to make a crushed pineapple cake.
But first I need to bake chocolate chess pie and pecan pie for Thanksgiving.
I remembered having seen them previously, but had not noticed their going until I needed some and couldn't find it - and never have, in at least 20 years.
Oh dear! We still have them, and use them when we make ham with rice and pineapple. But the cake sounds delicious.
I wasn't keeping the cake for a special occasion, or as a table decoration
Presumably a pineapple and a meat tenderiser can be combined to similar effect? And have therapeutic benefits.
I briefly contemplated a food processor, but had no idea what the different ratios would be between liquid & pulp in the various canned pineapple products. I think that would matter in a cake.
Too late to worry about that now, the recipe book is long gone.
I've started to think about gifts, I have less than 10 to buy, and I'm already looking online and have asked the kids to provide some suggestions for us. Cash would be easiest, but not as much fun to unwrap on the day.
Regarding Christmas cake, as I believe I've said before at around this time of year, I never make one as I'm the only person who eats it and the last person who should. Ditto mince pies. It makes me a bit nostalgic for Christmas Past, though, when making the cake in advance, and the mince pies on Christmas Eve, were a big part of it.
When leaving Tesco's this morning, I noticed that another customer had bought a neat little Nativity scene, apparently made of wood. I must remember to have a look at one of these, next time I'm in the store, as a replacement for my little plastic Nativity scene (dating back to the 1950s!), which is missing one of the Shepherds.
Meanwhile, FatherInCharge's fearsomely long list of 'Christmass' services has been added to Our Place's website. It's very much the mixture as before, though there was some talk of bringing the Christmas Eve Crib Service, and the Midnight Mass, forward to earlier hours. Attendances at most of the Christmas services since Covid have alas! been very poor.
My Christmas cake fell apart when I took it out of the tin. I've bunged the wreckage in the freezer and it'll be defrosted and become a misshapen Christmas pudding instead. The tree has been ordered and will arrive the week after next and I have decided on what the main meal will be, a light nut roast with harissa sauce. Other than that I'm ignoring it all at the moment.
As it's almost the start of Advent, the candle-bridges have gone up, and (hurrah!) all the lights are working.
@Cheery Gardener flouring the blades of your scissors (only halfway up the blades so flour doesn't get as far as the mechanical bits) helps dried/glacé fruit to not stick to them. Since you toss the fruit in flour anyway so they don't sink in the cake, it works very well.
I prefer an un-iced Christmas cake with cheese. Since I live alone I plan on getting a small gift cake Waitrose is selling decorated with glacé fruit and nuts. Once I had a really fantastic homemade Christmas pudding which has rather spoiled me for all shop-bought versions since then, but I don't have a freezer so no point in trying to make individual ones for myself. For me at least, Christmas pudding is something I only want once or twice across the whole festive season. Mince pies aren't far behind, though rich fruit cake is a good snack for long walks because it tolerates being squashed in a pocket - that gets eaten occasionally year-round.
@Heavenlyannie your Christmas food sounds delicious!
I love Christmas and cooking (after a day staring at essays on a computer I find cooking to be a welcome relief and therapeutic) so we make lots of fancy savoury dishes over the holiday. Mr Heavenly also cooks (he is the baker of the house) so we try to outdo each other. Him making pressed tongue probably wins on obscurity though.
The first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album
The first Amy Grant Christmas album
An array of Parry Gripp Christmas songs (they’re delightfully weird, like “Roy the Christmas Potato,” below)
https://youtu.be/W4H3OeLz_Sc?feature=shared
I know it is possible to make lower sugar recipes, other years I have been able to buy low sugar or low carb versions but there seems to be absolutely nothing this year.
I'm a big fan of the bakery puff pastry ones at Sainsbury's.
I do however always make sweet pastry (often with ground almond) ones.
The first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album has long been a firm favourite here and the second almost as much. Their musicians are a constant delight and I never tire of them. And of course, being from Nebraska, the Danish Lutheran farming side of the family approves of them.
One of the most trying Christmases ever was the one when my late father-in-law played the same CD of Messiah six times in the week before Christmas. He never tired of that, either.
I can find a couple of keto versions sold online for about £20 plus postage each 😱 I wonder if a local bakery that offers keto options would have one for sale.
I have to say that I find Christmas pudding too sweet more than anything else, so a low sugar version sounds interesting - I wonder if something akin to a fruity nut roast (or maybe a flourless cake using egg whites and ground nuts) would be better than an analogue to a "normal" Christmas pudding made with artificial sweetener.
It’s the same in restaurants, they’ll have a gluten free menu and worry about allergens - but can’t even put a no added sugar fruit salad on the dessert menu.
@Pomona do you have a link for the keto one you found ?
Hand held?