Mini Christmas Cakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many weeks before Christmas should you 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.

Simple – Dust with icing sugar. Ribbon – Wrap and tie a ribbon around each cake.

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.

Ideally though, you should try to cook just one large cake or one tray of cakes at a time. Putting too many tins in the oven can affect the cooking times, as your oven will have to work a lot harder to cook multiple cakes, and so your bakes will take longer.

It's best to get baking around two or three months before Christmas. This gives you plenty of time to let it mature and 'feed' your Christmas Cake regularly as the big day approaches.

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. You can repeat the feeding process every couple of weeks for three or four feeds. However, if the cake makes the work surface damp, appears wet or stodgy, discontinue feeding.

Storing an iced cake

Once the cake has been iced, don't store it in an airtight container, or the icing will weep. Rather, place the cake in a cool, dark and dry place and covered in foil.

Whiskey serves as a great substitute for brandy in a fruitcake. Although whiskey comes from fermented grain mash while brandy is made from fermented grape mash, the process is so similar, that the flavor will be similar as well.

In some recipes, booze plays the major liquid part, like this wine cake. The wine not only gives it a sweet, boozy flavor, but also a nice, moist bite. This works especially well in cakes that are soaked after cooking, like sticky toffee pudding (make it with bourbon) or coconut cake (try coconut rum).

What to pair with Christmas cake? ›

Sweet, luxurious sherry is such a perfect match. Stick to Pedro Ximenez or Oloroso styles, and the dried fruits, nuts, and silky, rich chocolatey notes will pair up like a match made in taste heaven. It's a traditional pairing too, so fully embraces the season.

The mixture can easily survive overnight. At winter times, usually anything can survive. I used to make many cakes before but no more.

This can happen for a variety of reasons ranging from type of flour, not enough eggs/wrong size eggs, not enough liquid or fats and even storage. 'Causes of crumbly fruit cake'.

Opinions on the "maturing" of Christmas cakes does vary and is partly an issue of personal taste, but for the rich fruit type of Christmas cakes we would suggest making them up to 3 months ahead of Christmas.

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.

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.

There's no hard and fast rule about when to ice your cake, but it's best to do it between 24 hours and a week ahead of the big day. A few creative flourishes will make your cake look fabulous.

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.