Christmas Cake Time!

These are my two favourite Christmas cake recipes both from the wonderful Delia Smith. Her Classic Christmas Cake recipe has a special place in my heart because it was the recipe I turned to when I baked my very first Christmas cake, a momentous occasion for any novice baker and it had to be just right! But I need not have worried because Delia is a safe pair of hands :)

My second favourite Christmas cake recipe is....yeah you guessed it, Delia again :) I now make both cakes each year and this Creole Christmas Cake is just as rich but it requires no food mixer, it just needs a big mixing bowl and and wooden spoon!  

Whichever you choose you won't be sorry, enjoy!

Delia's Creole Christmas Cake

This is the easiest Christmas cake to make! My stand mixer lay idle while I stirred and folded, that is a first for me, especially when it comes to the making our Christmas fruit cake! Yes it's true, it didn't plug in any gadgets when I mixed this cake, that alone makes this cake a winner! 

I have been in love with this recipe for a long time, it just screams Christmas with all the spices, alcohol, the chopped nuts and the smell...so Christmassy!

I was slightly dubious about the long list of spirits and lets be honest I was totally put off by the addition of Angostura bitter! It sounded like one of  those dusty bottles that your grandparents would have at the back of their drinks cabinet, stood beside tiny lime green bottles of Snowball or Advocaat!! Remember those? 

Well I thought this year was the year that I would make it no matter what obstacles I faced :) I did some research and discovered that this could be made without any effort. So here is how I got on, remember no electric mixers were used in the making of this sumptuous Christmas cake!! Enjoy.

Some Simple Christmas Cake Decorating Ideas

Don't be stuck for cake decorating inspiration this year, try some of my simple but classy cake ideas. Your cake can be a simple or as detailed as you wish but don't spend ages in the kitchen slaving over your masterpiece. 

Delia's Creamy Chicken Curry

This was the first recipe that I made from scratch, before that I didn't believe that I could make a meal from start to finish and for it to be edible! I am very grateful to Delia and her Complete Cookery Course, it gave me the confidence to cook everything from a poached egg to roasting a chicken for Sunday lunch, prior to buying this book I relied very heavily on prepacked food, mainly because I didn't really know where to start. I'm passing this recipe on in the hope that maybe this will give you the start you need to cooking with confidence.

Delia says:
This is good for either leftover chicken or turkey. It has a fairly mild curry flavour but you can "hot it up" if you like by adding a little more curry powder.

Recipe compliments of Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course

Serves 4

Ingredients
1lb Cooked chicken (450g) cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
1 Large onion, roughly chopped
2 Celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 large Green pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 heaped tablespoon Plain flour
1 rounded teaspoon Madras curry powder
1 level teaspoon Ground ginger
1 level teaspoon Turmeric
1 Clove garlic, crushed
1 pint Chicken stock (570 ml)
2 tablespoons double cream
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method
In a large flameproof casserole heat up the oil and soften the onion in it for 5 minutes, then add the chopped celery and green pepper and soften these for 5 minutes more. Next add the prepared chicken pieces and toss them around with the other ingredients. Now stir in the four, curry powder, spices and crushed garlic, and continue to stir to talk up the juices. Next, gradually add the stock, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition. Season with salt and pepper, put a lid on and simmer very gently for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Remove the curry from the heat, stir in the cream and serve with spiced pilau rice and mango chutney. I usually serve this with Delia's Perfect Rice or Pan Fried Potato Chips.

Delia's Perfect Rice

This is the only rice recipe you will ever need, if you struggle with cooking rice then this is the recipe for you. I usually serve it with Delia's Creamy Chicken Curry. The original recipe served two so I have doubled the quantity.

Delia says:
A friend of mine swore she'd never be able to cook rice: she had tried - she said - every sort of rice and every kind of method, only to be teased so much by her family that she gave up completely. Now I'm happy to report she has been persuaded to follow the method below and has had perfect rice every time. What is perfect rice? Simply this, that when it's cool enough you can pick up a handful that will run through your hands in a stream of perfectly separate grains. You will need:

Recipe complements of Delia Smith's Complete cookery Course

Serves 4

Ingredients
Long grain white or brown rice measured up to the 10 fl oz (275 ml) level in a measuring jug
1 pint (570 ml) boiling water or stock
1tbsp Oil or 20g butter
Salt
Method
One medium, solid-based saucepan or flameproof casserole, and a shallow serving dish, warmed.
Begin by heating the oil or butter gently, just to the melting stage, then add the rice and,using a wooden spoon, stir the grains to get them all thoroughly coated and glistening with fat.
Now add the boiling water or stock and salt, stir just once as the liquid comes up to simmering point, then put on a tight- fitting lid. Turn the heat down to keep the gentlest simmer- then go away and leave it completely alone. Don't take the lid off and, above all, don't stir it. After exactly 15 minutes, if the rice is white (40 if it's brown), I give you permission to have a look and test a few grains. If they are tender, and , when you tilt the pan almost on it's side, you can see no trace of liquid left, the rice is cooked.
Now tip it out into a warmed serving dish, using a rubber spatula to dislodge any grains that refuse to leave the base. Lightly fluff the grains with a skewer (or a fork). Serve immediately. Or f you need to to keep it warm- say for 20 minutes - cover the bowl with a tea cloth (which will absorb the steam and help keep the grains separate) and place it over a hot pan of hot but not boiling water.