Christmas, as everyone knows, is all about EATING.
In the Magnon household, it is traditional to make our own Yuletide cake, and Lady M always does the honours.
This (above) is the mud-pie stage; when the mixture is spooned into its special spring-loaded baking tin. Wishes are made, extra brandy is added (whilst Lady M's back is turned), and prayers are said, so that it neither explodes nor ends up as hard as rock.
The beast spends most of the afternoon baking at something like 140 C, whilst that wonderful aroma of home cooked cake wafts around the house.
About 4 hours later it is removed, tapped, sniffed, and prodded. Verdicts are given, and more brandy added. Unfortunately we now have to wait another two weeks before we take the first slice; by which time it will be covered with marzipan, plastic reindeer, and a miniature snowman.
Well, you have to do things properly; don't you!
29 comments:
I don't have your willpower Cro. Ours is half eaten already. Maybe we should make two?
It won't surprise anyone to know that I was, and remain, a total yob where mid-winter solstice yule-fest pagan celebration of Sir Isaac Newron's birthday cake cookery is concerned - throw away the cake and leave me the marzipan and the icing and the little decorations ... The thicker the marzipan and icing the better!
My mother's Christmas cakes were always large enough to need timezones. You didn't so much cut a portion as wait for global warming to make chunks of it break off and float away. We discovered a hitherto unknown tribe of Innuit living on the icing one year. Splendid.
Looks wonderful,I could almost smell it...enjoy,
Looks magnificent! I echo Sir Owl of the Wood's comment on Marzipan. I was forever getting a caning for knicking it before it even got onto the cake. You know what it is like, just a little pinch won't hurt, a few minutes later I would be trying to hide the empty wrapper.
Marzipan I like; Icing I don't.
My mother used to buy 28/30lb turkeys; I shall say no more!
That looks fabulous....and looks fine to me without the marzipan and icing, which I don't like.....just put a red ribbon around it, and bobs your uncle!
So, Owl, given that I always bake you a Christmas cake can I take it that I shouldn't bother? I'll give you a packet of marzipan instead. ;)
Lady M's cake looks great - no icing/marzipan required, as far as I am concerned. The cake is the star.
I agree, but I do allow the marzipan. It makes a ground for the snow, for the Snowman, the Reindeer, and Santa.
I just get my hand slapped.
Dearest Sister, please, no - just ladle on extra alcohol and double-up on the marzipan and icing! The cake is the yin to the marzipan's yang, if there were no culinary lows how would I appreciate the marzipan highs? ;-)
Nope, that didn't convey the correct message either. You know what I mean!
I think you may be in trouble!
Can we see a photo of the finished, decorated article in due course please?
As long as I can find all the players; otherwise it might just be the marzipan!
magnificent! what does one drink with it? Coffee, tea, Port?
I'm a Christmas cake virgin. I've not seen anything quite like that before, but it sure does look good. The closest thing I make to that is a whiskey cake, filled with nuts and raisins... and of course, whiskey.
I'm glad you take your cake seriously and stick to the old and proper traditions. Will you be adding a christmas tree or two to the decorations? You know the sort I mean, the ones that look like little green bottle brushes with blobs of snow on.
90% mixed dried fruits. 1% nuts. 8% brandy. 1% cake. Something like that
By the time we finally get to it; probably Tea.
Yes we have some of those. If I can find them they'll certainly go on.
Mom baked our christmas cakes in lovely little square pans....the same recipe was used for my wedding cake. It was dark and moist and fabulous. Who needs icing?
I was dubious until you got to marzipan. My friend says there's nothing you can't make better with butter or cheese; that's exactly what I think about marzipan.
Sir I must say, this looks amazing!
It looks scrumptious! Honestly, if i read many more of your food blog entries, i'll be gaining a stone in no time flat!
Looks great, Cro, and well done on exercising the restraint so far...
I was just about to post up something about feeding my cake: we've done it again. Synchronised food blogging!
That looks so good I can almost smell it! Unadorned is best in my opinion tho - can't be doing with the marzipan malarkey!
Beautiful!!!
That is a thing of beauty and ALMOST makes me like fruitcake. ALmost! :)
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