oshinangel

My wife refuses to bake proper Xmas cake with fruit cake, marzipan, hard icing all round....not because she doesnt love me but because she thinks fruit cake is only good for stopping doors........

PLEASE anyone know of a US supplier of proper good Xmas cake??
Need it quick....withdrawal symptoms approaching.....

Oops I am logged in as my wife but had to submit this quick before she found out......this is Haldaman to which please address any replies....

(Had to hide the Xmas pud I brought from Sainsbury's last year)

AdobePinon

Hehe! Best install some evil high-speed door closers so that she sees the need...

(Cost Plus has xmas puddings if she manages to snake them out of their hiding place.)

Bob

http://www.britishdelights.com/c2004-cake.htm


Go to the root of that addy for other stuff, pretty good site, don't know what postage is like as it's new england based, so not bad for me

Celtic_Angel

there is a perfectly good reason why All American's hate fruit cake......their fruit cake
SUCKS!!!!!!

I've seen the 'orrid stuff around but never heard of anyone who likes it, and i was warned about their gastly excuse for fruit cake by some German wifes in the know before i even moved here.........

NEVER EVER waste your money on this stuff it's only good as a door stopper
U.K fruit cake on the other hand= devine....I'd check out the site Bob supplied if i was you...it's what I'm probably gonna do

Desdemona

Here's a recipe if you want to make it :
http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/r_0000001293.asp

Sophia_S

I make one every year in early November....the first time I made it over here I asked my husband to pick up some 'mixed fruit' for me,and he came back with something labeled 'English Fruit Cake Mix'......it looked disgusting!,and it was just a two pound,or so,mix of all candied peel!!!!,no raisins or anything like that,just the mixed peel!!.......I made him take it back!!!!.......if thats what American's are making their fruitcake with......no wonder!!!!!!
I hate the candied peel so I just put lots of orange zest in my cake instead of any peel.....and I hate currants,so I put extra raisins,sultanas,cherries and nuts in instead,and,of course,lots of Captain Morgan spicy rum!!!
I had been making my cake from a recipe in my Mrs. Beeton cookbook,but this year I tried one from a recipe in a British recipe site,it looks and smells very good......I'll let you know how it tastes after Xmas!.....I think you'll find that nearly all the expat food websites carry some kind of ready-made Xmas Cake......I just enjoy making my own.........good luck!!!!.......my US husband hated fruitcake as well,until he tasted the 'real' one!!!,now he loves it!!!!......Sophia (Illinois)

NC Penguin

I quite understand your sentiments. American fruitcake looks "wrong". The ratio of fruit to cake is off. There's too much fruit and the cake doesn't look rich enough.

As you may guess, I haven't tried any yet.

My US spouse surprisingly loves British Christmas cake which is good thing because my Mum makes a very good Christmas cake. In fact, she knows the both me and my spouse like British Christmas cake so she made one and sent it to us. We received it in late October.

It's wholly homemade though. She made the fruitcake, the marzipan and the Royal icing! It's a hefty cake though. It must weigh about 4lbs at least. Best of all, it arrived in the mail intact!

Jess5377

They sell Fortum and Mason Christmas Puddings and Cakes at Saks Fifth Avenue. They may have them on the website, but if not call the store in NYC and they should be able to ship it to you.

Yosser

Anychance you could make me one? if there is one thing I really miss, its a proper xmas cake. Every year, I tell myself I must make one, but of course I forget and then its too late!

Still have memories of helping the old dear mix up the fruit cake, lay on the marzipan and icing, then we would put little xmas trees and santas on it

Haldaman

Delia's recipe makes me drool...but as for finding the ingredients in a hick town store.........pooh

ScyLarc

That recipe does look really great, there's also one for mince pies http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/r_0000001237.asp but i have no mince meat......sob. I love mince pies

NC Penguin

Check out message 12 on the following thread that appears in the Lounge-
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=268491

It's a recipe for mincemeat. I've not tried it but I may give it a go.




NC Penguin

AdobePinon

Cost Plus and Whole Foods have both been known to stock mince meat. Don't give up! It can be found!

Bob

I've seen mince pies at the local, bloomin' expensive though, but have bought a jar of cross and blackwell mince and the missus made some pastry, and they turned out pretty good...miss the brandy butter and other such cream dribbles from M&S etc tho

Celtic_Angel

actually that's what i'm gonna do this year, i've always threatened it but i've just been too lazy to make the pastry and well aren't muffin tins to deep?? my friend back home posted me a mince pie!!! An individually packaged Mr kipling mince pie!!! yummy ...now i'm hungry for them

Baking gingerbread men and decorating them has become a tradition with me and the kids...Xmas music on the radio and everything..really helps me get in the mood and thy're YUMMY!!!