9 Best Step-by-Step Recipes for Making Christmas Cake at Home

At Christmas, it is customary to bake a fragrant Christmas cake containing a lot of dried fruits, nuts, and candied fruits. All kinds of spices and aromatic additives give the product a unique Christmas smell. For regular baked goods, the freshness decreases after two or three days. And over time, the Christmas cake becomes tastier than before.

History of the dish's creation

Christmas cake is an ancient English tradition. Originally it was porridge with plums, which was served at Christmas as a transition from fasting to fasting food. Later, dried fruits, spices, and honey were added to the porridge. In the 16th century, butter, flour, and eggs were added to the recipe. The result was boiled pudding. Later, new spices were introduced. In the 19th century, it was already a real, baked cake containing citrus zest, nuts, and candied fruits and berries from local and exotic fruits.

Nowadays cupcakes are not so popular, but they are still found on our table. However, in England it is a symbol of Christmas. Not a single family can do without it. The most delicious is the English Christmas cake.

Basic requirements and preparation of main ingredients

Traditionally, the baked goods were prepared a month or a month and a half before Christmas. This was done to allow time for the baked product to age. During the entire period of infusing the cake, it is sprinkled with alcohol every three days. Thanks to this technique, after the alcohol evaporates, only the aroma remains.

They use a large amount of nuts, candied fruits and dried fruits. Sometimes there are more of these components than dough. Dried and dried fruits and berries are cut into pieces, freed from seeds. Add candied fruits and fried nuts, sprinkle with spices. The mixture is placed in a convenient container, filled with alcohol, left for a week, shaking the contents periodically. For half a kilogram of the mixture, take half a glass of alcohol.

If you don’t have time to keep the fruit mixture for a week, you can get by with one night. To do this, mix alcohol with hot tea. When boiling water is used, the ingredients are quickly soaked and are ready by morning.

Preparing the dough

Christmas baking dough contains a lot of baking and additives in the form of nuts and dried fruit. A mixture of fruits and nuts soaked in alcoholic drink is mixed into the finished dough.

Each housewife has her own recipe for making dough. They may differ slightly in quantity, composition of ingredients, type of spices.

Even the order of mixing products is different. But, regardless of the recipe, the dough is prepared without yeast, and therefore is quick and not difficult. To preserve the softness of baked goods for a long time, honey and molasses are added to the dough as preservatives.

Subtleties of proper baking

The mold is lined with parchment paper and greased with odorless vegetable oil. Bake at a low temperature, not higher than one hundred and forty degrees. The duration depends on the size of the product, and can reach four hours. Readiness is checked with a wooden splinter, toothpick or match.

The finished cake cools in a pan covered with foil. After complete cooling, preferably the next day, the finished product is removed from the mold.

How to decorate cupcakes correctly?

On Christmas Day, a decorated cupcake is served along with other dishes. Decorate in different ways to suit your taste. Some housewives simply sprinkle the product with powdered sugar. Others are topped with fondant, sugar or egg white icing. The snow-white coating looks beautiful on its own. Until it hardens, the surface is decorated with nuts, candied berries, and marzipan. They also set up figures made of mastic and sprinkle the top with cake sprinkles.

Christmas Cupcake Recipes

According to old customs, there must be a Christmas cupcake on the holiday table. Modern housewives have a large selection of different recipes for these baked goods.They can choose the Christmas cupcake according to their taste and the taste preferences of their family.

Traditional recipe with aging

If housewives have chosen this particular recipe, they should start baking a month before the holiday.

Required Products:

• 4 large eggs;
• 120 milliliters 20% cream;
• a glass of fine sugar with a slide;
• 150 grams of melted butter;
• 1.5 cups flour;
• 200 grams of dried fruit;
• 280 grams of white raisins;
• 60 grams of almonds;
• 2 coffee spoons of mixture (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom);
• citrus zest;
• a packet of baking powder;
• 50 milliliters of quality cognac.

Cooking begins with the filling. Raisins are cleared of branches and seeds. Afterwards, you need to sort out the dried fruits selected to your taste. Wash everything thoroughly, dry a little, cut into small pieces. Place in a deep bowl and pour in alcoholic beverage. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for seven days. To ensure that all dried fruits are equally soaked, they must be stirred daily.

Before grinding almonds, they must be dried in the oven. The almonds will be ready in ten minutes.

After seven days, when the dried fruits are soaked, you can start baking. Beat butter with sugar. When preparing the dough, it is better to use a mixer. Beat the eggs into the mixture one by one. Add zest, spices, flour and baking powder. Finally, stir in the nuts and soaked fruit.

Bake in the pan for three hours. Soak the cake with alcohol without removing it from the mold. Keep warm for twelve hours, wrapped in foil. After this period, the cake is removed from the mold and wrapped in baking paper and foil. Sprinkle the baked goods with cognac every three days for a month.

English Christmas cake

This pastry is distinguished by an abundance of fillings from various dried fruits, spices, and nuts.

You need to prepare for the test:

• a glass of cane sugar;
• 4 medium-sized eggs;
• a glass (with top) of flour;
• 70 milliliters of good cognac;
• lemon zest;
• 60 grams of walnuts;
• a packet of baking powder;
• coffee spoon of ginger;
• 200 grams of soft butter.

Products for filling:

• a teaspoon (without top) of cinnamon and cardamom;
• 240 grams of dates, dried apricots, prunes;
• 240 grams of dried fruit mixture of raisins and cherries;
• 50 grams of walnuts;
• 6 tablespoons orange juice;
• half a glass of lemon juice;
• coffee spoon of lemon zest;
• 170 milliliters of cognac.

Mix cognac, juice, spices, zest, washed dried fruits, crushed together with nuts. Keep in the cold for a week. Beat the melted butter with sugar, salt, eggs, adding them one at a time. Add crushed, fried nuts, zest, ginger, cognac, flour with baking powder, soaked dried fruits. Bake for three hours.

Sprinkle the prepared cake with alcohol without removing it from the pan and wrap it in foil. After twelve hours, remove the cake and wrap it in paper and foil. Sprinkle with alcohol once a week. After a few weeks the cake is ready.

With added dried fruits

In this option, dried fruits are selected individually.

Ingredients:

• 600 grams of your favorite dried fruits;
• a glass of rum;
• 4 eggs;
• 1.5 cups flour;
• a glass of crushed almonds;
• 200 grams of butter;
• a packet of baking powder;
• half a coffee spoon of vanilla;
• the same amount of cinnamon;
• 0.5 dessert spoons of a mixture of nutmeg, cardamom, cloves;
• 2 glasses of sugar.

Soak dried fruits in rum for a week. Beat butter with fine-grained sugar and eggs. Mix with other products.Bake the kneaded dough.

German Christmas cake Stollen

The cake is baked from yeast dough a month before the holiday. Required components:

• 200 grams of dried apricots, raisins;
• 250 grams of roasted almonds;
• half a glass of cognac;
• 2 eggs;
• 250 grams of butter;
• coffee spoon of cinnamon;
• 2 glasses of milk;
• 75 grams of fine grain sugar;
• lemon;
• 50 grams of pressed yeast.

Before preparing the cake, the dried fruits are kept in cognac for a week. Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, add a spoonful of sugar and two spoonfuls of flour. Add mashed butter with sugar and flour to the dough. Knead the dough and let it rise. Stir in dried fruits, nuts, zest, cinnamon. Keep warm for three hours. Bake. Leave for two to four weeks.

Quick version with tangerines

The tangerine cake is prepared quickly and has a short shelf life.

Components:

• 150 grams of butter;
• a glass filled with sugar;
• 3 eggs;
• 3/4 cup flour;
• a packet of baking powder;
• 2 large tangerines;
• 150 grams of dried fruits;
• 0.5 cut glass of orange liqueur.

Pour the dried fruit with liqueur for an hour. Melt a spoonful of butter in a frying pan with a teaspoon of sugar and fry the tangerine slices. Place the browned fruit on a plate. Here, fry the dried fruits soaked in liqueur. Beat butter with sugar and eggs. Add flour with baking powder, dried fruit, tangerine slices. Bake a pie.

Festive baking Chadeyka

Another simple pastry with your favorite candied fruits.

Required Products:

• 120 grams of butter;
• 1.5 cups sugar;
• 10 eggs;
• 2.5 cups flour;
• 150 grams of raisins, candied fruits;
• 200 grams of dried cranberries.

Grind the sugar with the yolks and butter, add the flour, add the whipped whites in small portions. Add candied fruits, raisins, cranberries. Mix. Bake.

Christmas cake Belonika

This pastry is distinguished by the presence of dark molasses and a high content of dried fruits.

Necessary:

• 700 grams of dried fruits;
• a third of a glass of liqueur;
• juice of half an orange;
• 2 eggs;
• half a glass of flour;
• 100 grams of butter;
• a large spoon of molasses;
• 50 grams of ground almonds;
• teaspoon of spices.

Various dried fruits are cut, the berries are left whole. Mix with juice and liqueur and leave overnight. In the morning the dough is prepared. Cream the butter with almonds, spices, and half the flour. Eggs are beaten with molasses. Both masses are combined with the remaining flour and infused fruit. Baked until done.

How to cook according to Italian recipe

In Italy they bake Panettone. The composition of this butter pie is very similar to the German Stollen. The only difference is that Panettone does not need to sit for several weeks. That's why it is baked on the eve of Christmas.

Products:

• half a kilo of durum wheat flour;
• a third of a glass of milk;
• 15 grams of pressed yeast;
• 150 grams of butter;
• 150 grams of sugar;
• a teaspoon of malt;
• 4 eggs;
• 3 yolks;
• 50 grams each of raisins, dried cherries and cranberries;
• 100 grams of candied citrus fruits;
• vanillin;
• half a glass of brandy.

Infuse raisins and berries in alcohol. Mix warm milk with 10 grams of yeast, a teaspoon of sugar, malt, and half a glass of flour. Leave for an hour and a half. Then mix 2 eggs, 50 grams of melted butter, yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and a glass of flour into the dough. Mix thoroughly and leave for three hours. At the last stage, add the remaining products. Knead the dough for ten minutes or more. Let rise and bake.

Ginger Treat for Christmas

One of the traditional Christmas treats is gingerbread cookies.

Ginger cookies, composition:

• 1.5 cups flour;
• 2 coffee spoons of ground ginger;
• coffee spoon of cinnamon;
• a coffee spoon of grated nutmeg;
• the same amount of ground cloves;
• a packet of baking powder;
• 4 yolks;
• 2 glasses of sugar;
• a glass of milk;
• faceted glass of honey;
• 50 grams of butter.

For the glaze:

• 2 squirrels;
• half a glass of powdered sugar;
• a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Dry ingredients are mixed. The yolks are ground with sugar until the crystals dissolve. Milk, honey, butter are heated until the products are mixed, but do not boil. Add the rest to the dry ingredients and knead the dough. Roll out into a flat cake and cut out various shapes. Bake until done. Cooled cookies are decorated with icing. For the glaze, beat the whites until stiff, adding powdered sugar. At the end, add lemon juice and beat.

Rules for storing baked goods

The prepared baked goods must be cooled, wrapped in parchment paper, and wrapped in foil. Store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for three weeks.