Nigella Lawson's Christmas cake recipe in the thermomix (2024)

FAQs

When's the best time to make a Christmas cake? ›

Some say you should make your Christmas cake 6 weeks before eating, but the advice given on Nigella.com is that 12 weeks before is the optimum time to get baking. Your Christmas cake should be fed every 4 to 6 weeks but in the meantime, after baking, it should be stored away in a secure, air tight container.

The cake also freezes well. Wrap the cake tightly in a double layer of clingfilm (plastic wrap) and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cake at room temperature overnight. Nigella's Traditional Christmas Cake recipe (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) suggests that the cake can be stored for up to 6 weeks.

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.

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.

The cake should be tested after the baking time with a cake tester or skewer and when inserted into the centre of the cake then it should come out clean if the cake is done. If there is any wet cake better or damp crumbs clinging to the skewer then the cake should be baked for a further 15 minutes and tested again.

The mixture can easily survive overnight.

Fruit cakes can generally be stored for up to a year in the freezer. But they could probably last for even longer. This is because the alcohol prevents mould and kills bacteria and the sugar helps to preserve the cake for longer. The dried fruit in the Christmas cake has 'low water activity'.

Once cold, poke holes into the top of your cake, and spoon 3 tablespoons of your chosen alcohol over it. This will soak in nicely. At this stage, you can eat the cake straightaway or keep it to mature until Christmas time.

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

What makes a Christmas cake dry? ›

If you're looking for a dry cake, simply over-bake it! In all seriousness though, over-baking cakes dry them out. It could only be a 30 second window between perfectly baked and over-baked, so make sure you're keeping an eye on the cake. Begin checking it 1-2 minutes before the recipe instructs.

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.

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.

1. 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.

Ideally, make an iced cake on the day to keep it fresh. Refrigerated: Your cakes will last longer in the fridge, but for an event, you won't want to push it longer than about 3 days. Make sure you wrap them carefully and take them out for an hour to return to room temperature before you serve.

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.

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.

A good two or three months in advance is ideal. This allows time for the fruits and flavours to mature as you feed the cake regularly in the lead up to Christmas Day, giving the beautiful richness that Christmas cake is known for.