I say I don't like Christmas cake to justify not having made one waaaaay back in October. Rather than feeding the cake, I have been feeding myself regular tots of whiskey instead - don't judge me, it is silly season and coping mechanisms need to be deployed. There are a lot of Christmassy treats I would choose over the traditional cake, like Christmas mince pies, and I would choose one of Kathy Paterson's almond fingers, a chocolate fudge slice or a cream and strawberry-filled Victoria sponge over one of those too.
But I actually do enjoy the odd slice of matured, well-fed Christmas cake and am thankful for the more organised members of my family and friends who have made the effort so that they can serve it to me just how I like it - on a grazing plate for dessert, with mature cheese and cherries ... and maybe another tot of that whiskey.
Ray McVinnie is also feeding my desire for dessert plates and, if you have just uttered the words "I'll bring dessert" go now to his feature on labour-unintensive desserts that can travel. I think it is going to be the most-used Bite page this year. The site is laden with Christmas baking of the traditional and not-so-traditional variety and you may start to understand why the Bite team deserve the odd tot, they've been busy.
