Best Christmas cake recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between fruit cake and Christmas cake? ›

Christmas cakes are also commonly made with pudding while a fruit cake uses butter, however there are Christmas cake recipes that do contain butter. The traditional Scottish Christmas cake, also known as the Whisky Dundee, is very popular. It is a light crumbly cake with currants, raisins, cherries and Scotch whisky.

Christmas cake is a type of cake, often fruitcake, served at Christmas time in many countries.

Best alcohol for soaking fruit cake:

This includes options like rum, brandy, whisky, and port wine. These types of alcohol will help to keep the fruit cake moist and also add some extra flavor to the cake. You can also soak the fruit in orange juice, apple juice, or any other type of fruit juice.

You can use rum, brandy or whisky for spice, or if you like citrus flavours, try an orange liqueur. Cherry brandy and amaretto will also work well if you prefer these.

Other good choices of booze include brandy, rum, or whiskey. Feel free to use one or a mix of these to best complement your fruitcake. Once you've chosen the liquor, bake the cake, poke holes throughout the whole thing, and pour a few tablespoons of the alcohol over it. Or, you can brush the cake with the alcohol.

The parchment paper and brown paper linings provide some insulation against the heat of the oven, which means that the cake bakes more evenly. If the tin is not lined in this way then the outside of the cake can cook too quickly, leaving the inside undercooked.

Might just give one last go this week then leave it til ready to ice it. I overfed mine last year. It tasted fine (I love a boozy cake!) but it was very very soggy.

A coin was hidden inside a small cake, whoever found it was crowned as mock king. Hiding small tokens in a cake is another tradition that has existed throughout the ages. The Christmas Sixpence, which is hidden inside a Christmas pudding or cake as a token of good fortune, being a recent example of this tradition.

Serving cheese with Christmas cake

Traditionally, Yorkshire folks found that the sharp and crumbly Wensleydale cheese worked perfectly either perched on top or eaten alongside a moist, rich slice of Christmas cake.

Christmas Cake is a traditional fruit cake with a rich, velvety texture that's so full flavoured and moist it can be eaten plain. But no one turns away a slosh of custard! Usually Christmas Cakes need to be started the day before, with overnight soaking of dried fruit.

Which country invented Christmas cake? ›

Origins. Historically the Christmas cake has been an English tradition. It started in the Middle Ages as plum porridge, a pretty unappetising formula that consistent of boiled beef mixed with bread, oatmeal, spices, dried fruit and wine.

Don't Over-Bake

If you're looking for a dry cake, simply over-bake it! In all seriousness though, over-baking cakes dry them out. It could only be a 30 second window between perfectly baked and over-baked, so make sure you're keeping an eye on the cake. Begin checking it 1-2 minutes before the recipe instructs.

The best way to avoid sinking fruit is to toss the fruit in a couple of tablespoons of the flour (just use some from the measured amount for the recipe) to coat it lightly. Once added to the cake mixture the flour coating will thicken the batter immediately surrounding the fruit and help suspend the fruit.

The reason why they are traditionally baked so early is so the fruit mixture can mature in the tin and be 'fed' with alcohol before it is enjoyed during the festive season. Therefore, the longer you are able to do this, the richer and more delicious it will be.

Once cut, Christmas cakes will store well if wrapped and kept in an airtight container. For longer storage of Christmas cakes wrap closely in kitchen foil and freeze. To serve an iced fruit cake that has been stored for a long time, unwrap it and remove the old icing and marzipan.

We recommend wrapping your fruitcake in plastic wrap before placing it in an airtight container. Then, place that container in the fridge. Doing this can ensure your fruitcake stays fresh for up to two months.

Traditional Christmas pudding is the original make-ahead dessert. It is meant to be made on the last Sunday before Advent, or five weeks before Christmas. The pudding should be stored in a cool, dry place until Christmas day. All you need to do is reheat it before serving.