Emergency: Greasproof paper alternatives for Christmas Cake I am cooking right now?

SatNavSaysStraightOn

SatNavSaysStraightOn

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I've got an emergency. I am about to cook my Christmas cake. Literally about to assemble all the parts, everything is weighed out, fruit has been soaked overnight after being picked over, sugar and marg creamed, eggs not yet cracked, flour and ground nuts mixed with spices, lemon rind and juice ready done, nuts roasted after being chopped etc... only to come to line my baking tin and find that I don't have any greaseproof paper. I only have foil and Clingfilm. My cake needs 5 hours in the oven to cook and I always double line the tray. Does anyone have any suggestions NOW please.... I have no idea as to what to do next and my husband is now away (with the car) for the next couple of days. He could come home with things tomorrow night, but that would mean Wednesday for cooking the cake.

Should I freeze everything like the soaked fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants and cherries) there's 2kg of expensive fruit that has been soaked in an unsweetened apple juice overnight. I could assemble the cake mixture completely and put the whole lot in the fridge for 2 days if people think it would work, or just freeze or put what I have right now in the fridge/freezer which is effectively 3 batches of stuff - the soaked fruit, the dry ingredients and the sugar/marg cream (which is easily redone). It is the dry stuff and the fruit I am more concerned about because I haven't been able to source all of the ingredients and have had to make things like my own ground almonds (I can easily get almond meal, just not ground almonds which are not the same thing). I wasn't able to get chopped roasted hazelnuts either, so had to get whole ones which have already been chopped and roasted along with the chopped almonds which have just joined them....

Help needed please.
 
Possibly use the clingfilm. I use it to blind bake pastry cases. A tip from Rachel Allen. But it does depend on the type of cling film.
Or just grease the tin well.

OTOH, mixing it and leaving for 2 days in the fridge might well improve it. I certainly wouldn't freeze it.
 
I wouldn't risk using plastic (cling) because it might melt.
Or she could grease the foil to be on the safe side.
 
Cinisajoy said:
I wouldn't risk using plastic (cling) because it might melt.
Or she could grease the foil to be on the safe side.
Click to expand...
It depends on the cling. Remarkably it doesn't melt! But that depends on having oven-proof clingfilm, I think. All the cling I've used (and I bake blind pastry cases quite often) has not melted. Trouble is, I'm not sure the packet will make that clear.
 
morning glory said:
It depends on the cling. Remarkably it doesn't melt! But that depends on having oven-proof clingfilm, I think. All the cling I've used (and I bake blind pastry cases quite often) has not melted. Trouble is, I'm not sure the packet will make that clear.
Click to expand...
I knew there were different types. I was thinking that foil is designed to go in the oven.
Least now she has a couple of ideas.
 
It seems from searching Google that using clingfilm isn't recommended although I've seen it used on the Great British Bake Off and Rachel Allen (TV cooking shows). I can't get to the bottom of this...
 
morning glory said:
It seems from searching Google that using clingfilm isn't recommended although I've seen it used on the Great British Bake Off and Rachel Allen (TV cooking shows). I can't get to the bottom of this...
Click to expand...
I have seen it used over pans on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
I have also personally seen cling wrap melt in the microwave.
Though husband cooks eggs in a plastic freezer bag put in boiling water.
 
I've put everything on hold. With the lack of a nut oil to grease the tin with or the tin foil - and also I need grease proof paper and foil to wrap the cold cake in once cooked so that it does not dry out and stays fresh until Christmas and beyond, I decided that it would be better to stop where I was and use the sugar/marg to make some desperately needed cookies.
I had considered the foil - but it is really thin, cheap foil and I had visions of it breaking and leaving loads of little V sections of foil needing to be picked off the sides of the cake, assuming that it came off at all.

Clingfilm has to be able to survive a microwave which is technically hotter than the oven but for much shorter periods of time. However this cake is in the oven for a minimum of 4-5 hours usually and I have to confess I am not that happy using clingfilm or foil at the best of time and in this household (and this should come as no surprise) both will get used and re-used many times over before I throw them away.

thanks for the ideas. My OH proposed A4 printing paper! Vetoed. Foil, similarly vetoed. and finally sacrificing an old pillow case! Also vetoed. I think he was thinking along the lines of waxed cotton. Luckily I lack any wax hence the veto. (He used to work in the cotton mills, so this isn't as odd a suggestion as it may first appear. Waxed paper replaced waxed cotton from what I understand.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I've got an emergency. I am about to cook my Christmas cake. Literally about to assemble all the parts, everything is weighed out, fruit has been soaked overnight after being picked over, sugar and marg creamed, eggs not yet cracked, flour and ground nuts mixed with spices, lemon rind and juice ready done, nuts roasted after being chopped etc... only to come to line my baking tin and find that I don't have any greaseproof paper. I only have foil and Clingfilm. My cake needs 5 hours in the oven to cook and I always double line the tray. Does anyone have any suggestions NOW please.... I have no idea as to what to do next and my husband is now away (with the car) for the next couple of days. He could come home with things tomorrow night, but that would mean Wednesday for cooking the cake.

Should I freeze everything like the soaked fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants and cherries) there's 2kg of expensive fruit that has been soaked in an unsweetened apple juice overnight. I could assemble the cake mixture completely and put the whole lot in the fridge for 2 days if people think it would work, or just freeze or put what I have right now in the fridge/freezer which is effectively 3 batches of stuff - the soaked fruit, the dry ingredients and the sugar/marg cream (which is easily redone). It is the dry stuff and the fruit I am more concerned about because I haven't been able to source all of the ingredients and have had to make things like my own ground almonds (I can easily get almond meal, just not ground almonds which are not the same thing). I wasn't able to get chopped roasted hazelnuts either, so had to get whole ones which have already been chopped and roasted along with the chopped almonds which have just joined them....

Help needed please.
Click to expand...


WOW!!

First time ever hearing of a cake that has to be baked THAT long! :ohmy:
 
Shermie said:
WOW!!

First time ever hearing of a cake that has to be baked THAT long! :ohmy:
Click to expand...
I must admit I thought it was a long time too. But its not uncommon to cook dense rich (and large) fruit cakes for this 3 hours or more. This is not a light fluffy affair. It looks like something like this:

christmascake_778x436.jpg
 
Shermie said:
WOW!!

First time ever hearing of a cake that has to be baked THAT long! :ohmy:
Click to expand...
One year many moons ago when we were out mountaineering over Christmas, we cooked a double version of this cake. twice everything in an 11" cake tin. it took over 11hrs to cook through.

But on such a low gas mark for a cake that is 8 inch diameter and over 4 inches deep and solid fruit is not unreasonable. I'll test it from the 4 hour mark onwards especially because I'm on a new oven and this is the first time I've cooked this cake in this oven and I don't yet know this oven. some form of heart shield will also be used to prevent the bottom cooking before the top does. this oven seems to need one!
 
morning glory said:
I must admit I thought it was a long time too. But its not uncommon to cook dense rich (and large) fruit cakes for this 3 hours or more. This is not a light fluffy affair. It looks like something like this:

View attachment 4346
Click to expand...
That one has too much sponge showing for my liking. this cake had about 3 or 4 times the quantity of fruit in it!
 
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