History of the Christmas cake
Would it be Christmas without a marzipan wrapped festive fruit cake? We think not!
The Christmas cake started life as plum porridge, which was designed to line people’s stomachs after a day of religious fasting.
Soon after, fruits and a dash of honey were mixed with the plums and the good old Christmas cake was created.
Richer ingredients
Around the 16th century, people began to include richer ingredients in their cake mixture. Oats were removed and flour and eggs were added so it started to resemble more of a fruitcake that we recognise today.
Spices brought over from the East were incorporated to symbolise the three wise men. Richer families would also wrap their cakes in marzipan, which is also more familiar to us today.
Making in advance
It’s become traditional to make Christmas cakes weeks in advance of the big day, so they can be ‘fed’ with brandy, sherry or whisky until they are eaten, making them even richer.
Pre-order your Christmas cake from us
If you don’t have time to make a cake this year, then let us do the work for you. We’re now taking pre-orders for Christmas cake in-store and online on our shop here.
Our traditional Christmas cake is packed with currants, raisins, cherries and sultanas, soaked in brandy and mixed with freshly grated orange and lemon zest, all baked into a dark, rich cake which is coated with almond paste and fondant icing and topped with a simple fondant holly and berry decoration.
Order online for collection between December 17 and 24 (excluding Sundays and Mondays).