Christmas Cake Time

Traditions vary greatly around the world of Christian countries and communities, and the Christmas period can last from as early as Advent in early December until Twelfth Night on January 6. In New Zealand - where festive traditions have largely been drawn from Britain - the heat comes on for the cook from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day.

Numbers of the traditions associated with Christmas, as with other “Christian” festivals, embody elements of much earlier midwinter pagan festivals, and these are reflected in the special seasonal foods. For those of British descent, these include the Christmas Cake and the Christmas Pudding, as well as the Christmas turkey…although in the form we now know them, these date only from the early part of last century. Our Christmas Cake originated as a special cake for Twelfth Night – the church festival of Epiphany – rather than Christmas Day, but gradually its importance declined and, in time, the old festive “breads” developed into the rich fruit cake of today. In other European countries, special baking for Christmas embraces many different cakes or breads.

It’s almost impossible to pinpoint the origins of our modern Christmas cake, usually covered with a thick layer of marzipan topped by royal icing and decorated. It probably has several progenitors, like a huge cake called a “marchpane” - an essential part of any mediaeval feast, made entirely of sugar and almond or what we know as marzipan, and much decorated with dried fruits, candies and flowers, as well as with gold and silver leaf.

Then there were the “plumb” or “bride” cakes, made from fruit, spices and wine, often using yeast, and which would have more resembled a heavy fruit bread. The more elaborate versions were the preserve of the more affluent households.

There are some scary recipes for the ancestor of today’s Christmas cake, in terms of the quantities of ingredients, but you won’t find any of that in our recipes! If you’re looking for inspiration, Traditional Christmas Fruit Cake is a very old family favourite, not overly rich, and best made as far in advance of Christmas Day as possible to allow the flavour to develop. Mini Christmas Cakes make lovely gifts or you could try Orange and Almond Cake - a very modern Christmas cake. Stollen is my favourite Christmas recipe, and we enjoy it either fresh or toasted and buttered once it is a week or so old. Jewel Cake, a simple fruit cake topped with fruit and nuts, is great to serve in thin slices with coffee at the end of Christmas Day. It also makes a lovely gift. If you really want to wow the folk at your festive table, Walnut And Orange Cake with Grand Marnier Melon Salad is fabulous, although it’s miles away from our traditional fruit Christmas cake.

What about Christmas Pudding? It started life as a sort of porridge…but that’s a long time ago and another story!