who all has started making their Christmas fruitcakes?

[Paul Henry]

Fruit cakes, the sort for celebrations, are usuallly made at least a few months in advance, it helps the cake to mature and the flavours all become richer and moister. My mother used to make wedding cakes as a additional income, and it was not unusual to have the cake baked at least 6 months in advance, but only marizpaned and iced shortly before the wedding itself. there was also the tradition of keeping the small top tier for the christening cake of the first child, I can can remember big wall cupboards from my childhood with lots of diffferent fruit cakes in all sorts of sizes with labels for many diffferent families.

[piperdbh]

My mother used to make wedding cakes as a additional income...

The Mrs. and I do that, too.

...it was not unusual to have the cake baked at least 6 months in advance, but only marizpaned and iced shortly before the wedding itself.

I've never had fruitcake at a wedding here in the US ofA. We use pound, sponge, carrot, red velvet, various chocolate and a few other cakes, but I don't know of anyone who has served fruitcake.

...there was also the tradition of keeping the small top tier for the christening cake of the first child...

In my country, the tradition is to keep the top tier and eat it on the couple's first anniversary.[/quote]

I can can remember big wall cupboards from my childhood with lots of diffferent fruit cakes in all sorts of sizes with labels for many diffferent families.

That must have been a sweet-smelling kitchen!

[BEEDEE]

I've never had fruitcake at a wedding here in the US ofA. We use pound, sponge, carrot, red velvet, various chocolate and a few other cakes, but I don't know of anyone who has served fruitcake.

We did!!! Made a traditional fruit cake from an old New Zealand recipe and covered it with marzipan and royal icing.

But my favorite for a Christmas cake is Black Bun.

Brian

[piperdbh]

We did!!! Made a traditional fruit cake from an old New Zealand recipe and covered it with marzipan and royal icing.

But you didn't invite me to the wedding, Brian!

The Mrs. and I made our own wedding cake, too, but it was a 10-egg pound cake recipe covered with Wilton-recipe buttercream and store-boughten fondant. I've since reformed my ways.