Christmas Baking - TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKES

Each year I do the baking, and I usually begin around October, with the soaking of fruit, well some times things come along to test us and this year is one of those big ones. So I decided that I wouldn't cook a cake but just purchase one. BUT!!! It didn't go down too well with my number one daughter, mum you have to do cake, so as I had purchased my fruits, it was more getting in the spirit and finding the time....so before I knew it it was the 1st Dec and fruit and I finally had time to play.

So hence this repost of this old Recipe, here is my modified running late but still filled with 'Christmas' Spirit Cake. I am not going to repost the whole recipe, just give you my modified steps, and share with you my packaging ideas for this year.

Step 1 modified Not having the month to soak I have replaced the water with cointreau....hope it works!!! It certainly smells divine.

Fruit has soaked longer than intended due to everything else, but oh well, it has mixed up and baked today with no other changes except for my tins.

As I like to give a few cakes away, I love thinking up new ways of doing this, and with a trip to IKEA yesterday for inspiration, I came up with these lovely little plant pots they are Socker in the 10cm size @ $1.99 I thought they were a bargain priced container this year. They hold a lot more than I realised so my cakes are much bigger than usual, but I know those that receive them will love that little bit more.!!!

I have lined the tins with bake paper and hope to wrap them with cellophane with a ribbon and tag once they are cooled. But at the moment they are sitting baked, warm on the oven, with a rich aroma of brandy after having that one last drizzle on the warm cake....Oh my the smell!!! is oh so Christmas.

So as far as quantity went, I did my double batch mix and have baked my usual large round that's our cake and 6 of these pots.

Let me know if you have baked my recipe this year and how you went about tweaking it for you and your family and gifts.