December 25th might still be a few weeks away, but if you’re making a Christmas cake, you might be worried you’ve missed the boat, as these tend to be made months in advance. Do not fear though, as there is still a way to make a last-minute Christmas cake that will be equally as delicious!

The reason why people traditionally make these puddings so far in advance is to let the alcohol mature over several weeks or months. This is thought to improve the flavour and give a richer and stronger taste.

It also helps stop the cake from crumbling so easily when it is sliced, as can happen if served too soon after baking.

The Queen of cooking, Delia Smith, recommends those who forgot to bake their cake in September or October to try her Last-minute Brandied Christmas Cake recipe. This includes a jar of mincemeat, prunes, mixed fruit, mixed peel, and glace cherries, which help to keep the cake moist. It also contains 150ml of brandy, giving it that authentic Christmas ‘kick’.

FoodleClub blog also recommends boiling dried fruit in alcohol and orange juice for those who haven’t been prepared enough to bake in advance or do not have the time to leave the fruit to soak overnight.

Her recipe also doesn’t involve feeding it with branding and only takes an hour and a half to bake.

Despite this, she said: “You end up with a Christmas cake that’s packed with fruit, cherries and nuts, that is so moist and juicy that people will think you spent weeks feeding the cake with brandy and leaving it to mature.”

If you’re planning on baking your Christmas cake soon, stock up on bulk dried fruit and nuts online.