"baglady" > wrote in news:418fba34_4@mk-
nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com:

> Today I have cooked a Christmas cake following Delia Smith's Traditional
> cake recipe and I fear that it may be a bit dry. I fed it a little with
> brandy when it had cooled. Will my cake moisten up a little in keeping or
> will it still be dry come Christmas??? I lined the cake tin with paper
> inside and out.
> Any advice anyone?
> Thanks.

Quite honestly, you've probably baked this too late for Christmas.
Christmas cakes are best baked shortly after Christmas for serving the
following Christmas.

Having said that, however, it's probably not too late to do something about
your cake. It needs to be wrapped in something absorbant like cheesecloth
or a clean, thin, flat-surfaced kitchen towel. The wrapped cake should be
placed in a tin or plastic container that can be tightly sealed. When it's
been prepared this way, the cake's surface should be moistened with
whatever spirits you prefer; e.g., brandy, rum, irish whiskey, etc. The
wrapping should also be doused with spirits, then the container sealed
tightly. This annointing ritual should be repeated weekly, moistening the
fabric lightly each time.

You should have a fairly moist cake by Christmas, but I wouldn't cut it
until then.

--
Wayne in Phoenix

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.