My Christmas cake is hard

Asked on 1 Dec 2017 by Mick'O

Hi, just made the rich Christmas cake, followed instructions implicitly. The cake was hard. I can only presume the oven setting of 140c. is for a non-fan oven. So the setting should be 120c fan.
Please advise, Mick

Lindsey, Food Editor replied

Hello Mick,

Yes, all of Delia’s recipes are tested using convention heat.

So for next time, if you use a fan setting you generally need to reduce the temperature by 20 degrees but as the Classic Christmas cake recipe is baked on the lowest shelf (which makes a difference in a conventional oven but not a fan oven) I would reduce the temperature by 25 degrees (i.e. 115 degrees but obviously you can use any shelf).

You haven’t said that your cake is burnt, just that it is hard so it sounds like your cake will be fine with a little nurturing!

‘Feed’ it with two or three teaspoons of brandy or Armagnac, every 5 – 6 days and each time you do, use a pastry brush to paint the top and sides all over with a little more if the alcohol, (I like to keep it on a cake board so that it doesn’t break) then wrap it in parchment and foil and keep it in a tin or plastic food box.

Best wishes

Lindsey