Delia Christmas Cake Waitrose
Delia Christmas Cake Waitrose 2011
Delia Christmas Cake Mix
Delia Smith Christmas CakeDelia Christmas Cake. My kids aren't really into the cake itself anyway, but they love the marzipan and icing, so will nibble meagrely at the cake in order to justify feasting on their icing and that of the adults as well, who Jack Sprat-like tend to prefer the cake and leave the excess sweet icing to the children. That detail seems to have been omitted in the updated versions, maybe these days it seems too old-fashioned to believe that rich cake is death to young stomachs! It is just the sort of rich, damp, heavy fruit cake that Captain Hook put out to poison the Lost Boys in the original Peter Pan story.
Just one whiff is enough to conjure up Christmas. So yesterday the kitchen exuded a gentle spicy aroma as the cake cooked extremely slowly for four and a half hours. Usually I procrastinate and bake it only a week before Christmas but this year I was determined to do it right. The Christmas cake should be prepared well ahead of time so it has time to develop moistness and flavour. December is the time for baking in the kitchen, insulated against the cold weather by a festive fug of spices, brandy and rich dried fruit: cookies, mince pies, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake.
