10 pretty vintage Christmas cake recipes - with holiday flavors like chocolate, gingerbread, cherry & more - Click Americana (2024)

FAQs

What is the traditional Christmas cake in Europe? ›

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.

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

Leave the cake to cool in the tin. When cool, pierce the cake at intervals with a fine skewer and feed with a little extra brandy. Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of greaseproof paper and again in foil and store in a cool place for up to three months, feeding at intervals with more brandy.

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.

In the 1980s, a woman unmarried by 25 was dismissed as "Christmas cake" — thrown out on Dec. 26. These days the big number is 31, and women unmarried by that age are "New Year's Eve noodles," noodles being a typical New Year's Eve dish.

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.

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.

Plain flour is fine as the cake isn't going to significantly rise. You are looking to achieve a dense, moist texture that is evenly distributed with flavoursome vine fruits. Gluten free alternatives: opt for a combination of flours.

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.

Can I eat old Christmas cake? ›

The best thing to do is look at the cake. If there are any signs of mould, or if the cake has a fermented, sour or odd smell, then it is safer to discard the cake. But if there are none of these then the cake sould be fine as rich fruit cakes can be kept for longer.

It's worth noting that the container that you store your Christmas cake in must be airtight as otherwise, the proteins in the ingredients (eggs, butter, nuts…) will become oxidised if exposed to air — which causes rancid odours and flavours. Fruit cakes can generally be stored for up to a year in the freezer.

We Italians love to eat panettone and pandori at any time of day (yes, including breakfast!) Delicious on their own, both holiday cakes pair well with coffee and wine. And to give your slice an extra festive twist, pair it with whipped cream, sweet spreads, fresh fruit, and dark chocolate.

In northern England, Christmas cake is often served with a slice of cheese, preferably Wensleydale or a crumbly cheddar. If mixed spice isn't available or you don't have the ingredients to make your own, you can use pumpkin pie spice mix instead. They're very similar.

Panettone and pandoro are the most popular Christmas cakes eaten during the Christmas period in Italy.