In this post, I’ve put together some Christmas cake recipe ideas, cake mixes and ready-made, homemade cakes for anyone short on time.
About Traditional Christmas Cake
A traditional Christmas cake is a type of cake that we eat during the holiday season. These cakes are usually fruit cakes, but they can also be chocolate cakes.
Christmas cakes date back to the 16th century and were first made with dried fruits and spices. The tradition of making them grew during the Victorian era when people began sprinkling them with icing sugar.
A Christmas Cake can be served as is, decorated with sliced glacé cherries or covered with marzipan and icing.
The basic procedure is to mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another. The dry ingredients are then gradually added to the wet mixture until you have a thick dough-like paste which you then roll into a ball.
The dough is then pressed into the base of a greased lined round tin before being baked for 45 minutes at 350° F (180° C) or at a lower temperature for 2-3 hours depending on the recipe.
Should You Bake a Christmas Cake Early?
The earlier you bake your Christmas cake the better because it does improve with age. Many people bake their cakes up to 2-3 months in advance, then the cake is fed with brandy, rum or sherry.
It’s never too late to whip up a Christmas cake though because they are easy to make and can’t really be messed up. You can make one the week before Christmas, so don’t be put off making one if you really want to have a go.
Christmas Cake Recipes to Try
Have a shot at making one of these delicious festive cake recipes:
This rich and fruity Christmas cake recipe by Waitrose doesn’t require the fruit to be soaked overnight, so it’s much quicker to make and can be eaten straight away as soon as it has cooled.
M&S show you step by step how to create a beautifully iced Christmas cake. The cake will keep for up to three months if stored in an airtight tin in a cool, dark place
Have a go at this Port, Walnut and Orange Fruit cake recipe with Christmas flavours including, orange, sweet cinnamon, walnuts and a splash of port. Serve it as it is or with a selection of cheeses.
When you find recipes that all the family love, write them in a recipe book for future reference. This can then be passed down through the generations.
Where to Buy a Christmas Cake
If you don’t have the time to shop for all of the ingredients for a Christmas cake, don’t worry, here are a few ideas where you can get a decent quality cake mix or a homemade cake delivered to your door that’s ready to serve.
Grandma Wild’s Make Your Own
Grandma Wild’s fruit cake mix is super convenient if you’d like to have a go at baking without the worry of getting all the ingredients together.
You will need to have a cake tin to hand along with butter, eggs and water. This cake is suitable for vegetarians.
Grandma Wild’s Make-Your-Own Christmas Fruit Cake Mix.
Tesco Christmas Cake Mix
An affordable spiced cake mix that makes up to 10 portions, with mixed dried fruit. All you need to add is eggs, butter, orange juice or brandy and the cooking time is 2 hours 45 minutes. Suitable for vegetarians.
BizziBeans Iced Christmas Fruit Cake
This Homemade Christmas Fruit Cake is suitable for vegetarians and covered in rich hand-rolled marzipan and fondant icing.
It’s gently spiced and filled with fruit that is soaked in French brandy overnight, then boiled with sugar until the fruit is plump and takes in the flavour of the Brandy, sugars and mixed spices.
Deliciously moist and full of flavour with chopped dates, golden sultanas, a mixture of zesty citrus peels, succulent diced apricots and tart glacier cherries.
Bizzibeans homemade vegetarian iced Christmas fruit cake. Comes gift wrapped.
Rich Fruit Christmas Cake
Shop at Cotswold Cake Company and try this scrumptious handmade fruit Christmas cake. Each cake has a layer of marzipan in between the cake and the icing.
You may also like their round Merry Christmas celebration cakes.
Being handmade, you can pass these cakes off as your own if you don’t want your guests to know! 😉
If your kids don’t like Christmas cake, try our Chewy Spiced Ginger Cookies for a festive treat!
