Bake your own Christmas cake with Rachel Allen

Half of us think a home-made Christmas cake is out of reach – and Rachel Allen is out to prove us wrong. Claire Spreadbury dons an apron and discovers just how easy a festive bake can be

MAKING a Christmas cake is a bit of an epic challenge, isn’t it? First comes the planning, then the mixing, then months of feeding it booze, then baking, making marzipan and spending an eternity icing it – only for half your Christmas party to turn their noses up and opt for the chocolate log. It’s a whole lot of festive faff I’ve never involved myself in.

The cake was something my mum always made and now she’s not around, I either don’t bother or make do with a ready-made Marks & Spencer affair. And it seems I’m not alone.