Stuff the turkey! This article is going to be about all the delicious sweet things that only come out at Christmas. There are a number of great cakey creations you could choose for your table, and you certainly needn’t simply go for the same thing you have every year. Here follow what may very well be the top five Christmas cake creations. Which would you prefer?
- Christmas cake
Christmas cakes come in many shapes and sizes, but in the Western world the traditional recipe is arguably a rich fruit cake, one that is more often than not covered in a thick layer of white icing. In different countries, however, Christmas cakes can be quite different. In Japan, for example, the traditional Christmas cake is a simple sponge frosted with whipped cream and decorated with anything from strawberries to Christmas chocolates. Usually eaten on Christmas Eve, the nickname ‘Christmas cake’ is sometimes given to Japanese women over the age of 25 as a mean metaphor of them being past their ‘sell-by date’.
- Stollen
A traditional part of German Christmas festivities. Also known as Christstollen or Weihnachtsstollen when served during the Christmas period, Stollen is halfway between a fruitcake and a kind of sweet bread. Filled with dried fruit, nuts and spices, Christmas Stollen are often sprinkled with powdered sugar in order to complete their festive apperance.
- Panettone
Panettone is a kind of sweet bread that originated in Milan. In 1919 Angelo Motta revolutionised the panettone baking process by making the dough rise a total of three times, this resulting in the traditional tall shape it remains famous for today. Usually containing candied citrus fruit and raisins, panettone is traditionally served with a special kind of cream made from marscapone chese and amaretto. There are a number of folk etymologies surrounding the origin of the panettone’s name, one of them even featuring Leonardo da Vinci.
- Bûche de Noël
If you’re not French you may know this confection as a Yule log. The Bûche de Noël is carefully prepared so that it looks as much like a log (specifically one ready for use in the ancient pagan winter solstice festival) as possible. A sweet roulade cake (similar to a Swiss roll) frosted with chocolate buttercream made to look like bark, the Bûche de Noël is often decorated with fresh berries, powdered sugar to represent snow and even sometimes a sprig of holly (which can be real or carefully crafted out of icing).
- Christmas pudding
Arguably one of the biggest Christmas icons, the Christmas pudding (sometimes known as a plum duff) can trace it origins all the way back to medieval times. However, the Christmas pudding as we know it today first appeared in the 1830s, combining a number of traditionally expensive ingredients (and no credit cards to pay for them with back then!). Usually made with flour, suet, spices and treacle, it was originally used as a way of preserving any unused meat at the end of the season. Common Christmas pudding traditions include dousing it in brandy and setting it alight, the inclusion of small silver coins in the pudding mix (which were somewhat of a health hazard) and decoration with a festive spri g of holly.
(Guest Blog) Jean Cheval is the undisputed Christmas cake extraordinaire in his neck of the woods. Dare you challenge him?
