Is It Too Late To Bake A Christmas Cake?

Purists may advise that if a Christmas Cake has not been baked by the end of September then there is no point in even thinking about making one.  But the reality is that making it now will still produce a palatable cake.
Indeed you could bake one right up until the end of November and it would still be ok.
It is advisable to still 'feed' the cake with alcohol, right up to two weeks before Christmas.
To do this you just need a syringe dropper and a sharp knitting needle (which has been cleaned obviously).  Create a hole in the cake with the needle and then drop in some brandy or sherry.  This will help give flavour to the cake and keep the fruit nice and moist.  If you do not use alcohol, then some fruit juice would be acceptable, although it does not have the same preserving powers as alcohol.