North East Family Fun : Easy Classic Christmas Cake Recipe (Inspired by Mary Berry) (2024)

FAQs

How far in advance should I make a Christmas cake? ›

Opinions on the "maturing" of Christmas cakes does vary and is partly an issue of personal taste, but for the rich fruit type of Christmas cakes we would suggest making them up to 3 months ahead of Christmas.

Grease and line a 28cm bundt cake tin. Beat the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, add the eggs and milk and mix, then fold in the flour spices and fruit until well mixed. Fold into the wet mix. Bake for 1¼ to 1½ hours until golden brown and firm in the middle, spoon over brandy then cool.

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.

In Yorkshire, Christmas cake is usually eaten with Wensleydale, a type of cheese produced in North Yorkshire. It's a tradition that dates back at least to Victorian times, according to food historian Peter Brears from Leeds.

Wrap the cake in greaseproof paper or baking parchment then wrap it in kitchen foil. Store cake in a second layer of foil or in an airtight tin. You can repeat the feeding process every couple of weeks for three or four feeds. However, if the cake makes the work surface damp, appears wet or stodgy, discontinue feeding.

I always leave it overnight ( sometimes longer). In the 50 years that I have been making them it has never caused a problem.

Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective! Other than that, there's nothing unusual about how this fruit cake is made.

Wrapping the tin in brown paper helps slow the baking of the cake to a more steady temperature, avoiding the outside of the cake being overdone (or worse, burnt) while the inside is still raw.

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

Panettone, Italy

Originating from Milan, Italy, this cake has become one of the most popular Christmas cakes around Europe and in many parts of the world. The panettone is a dome-shaped spongecake with a sweet, yeasty taste. Similar to sourdough, this cake needs to be proofed three times before it is baked.

What is the witches cake? ›

A bizarre form of counter-magic, the witch cake was a supernatural dessert used to identify suspected evildoers. In cases of mysterious illness or possession, witch-hunters would take a sample of the victim's urine, mix it with rye meal and ashes and bake it into a 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.

Many people say it needs to be eaten with Wensleydale, a type of cheese produced in North Yorkshire... Although some say that cheddar is the way to go. And others say the cake needs to be icing-free. Eating cheese with your Christmas fruit cake is actually a long-held Yorkshire tradition.

No one knows exactly which genius was the first Yorkshire man or woman to seek out this taste sensation, but the custom was firmly established by Victorian times, with Joseph Lucas's 1871 book Studies In Nidderdale describing how, “On Christmas Eve one Yule Cake is given to each member of the family, along with a piece ...

HOW LONG DOES A CHRISTMAS CAKE LAST? Christmas cakes to be kept in a tin can be made up to 3 months in advance depending on the recipe you use, OR you can make it many more months ahead, freeze it and defrost it when you are ready to 'feed' it or ice it.

You'll find that most of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes can be made anywhere from a month to six months before the 25th of December. (Consult this handy how-to guide to the matter.) Generally, most recipes will be best if baked and then frozen.

We would suggest icing the cake about a week before Christmas if you want to avoid a last minute rush. Cover the cake with marzipan and then if possible let the cake stand for 24 to 48 hours so that surface of the marzipan can dry out.

Un-iced: If you don't need to ice your cake until the day, you can bake your cake at least 2-3 days ahead of time. But you will need to store it carefully. Ensure that you wrap the cake and have it stored in an airtight container so it doesn't lose moisture.