Christmas cake - Stir Up Sunday
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: North Wales
Posts: 473
Christmas cake - Stir Up Sunday
Is anyone out there making their Christmas cake this Sunday (today)?
In England we have 'Stir Up Sunday', six weeks before Christmas, when it is traditional to make your cake and also your Christmas pudding.
I don't bother with the pudding (it never gets eaten!) but do try and do my cake now.
This year I'll be doing my own Stir Up Monday though, since I forgot to soak my fruit overnight last night - so at least I've *started* the cake today....
What about others?
In England we have 'Stir Up Sunday', six weeks before Christmas, when it is traditional to make your cake and also your Christmas pudding.
I don't bother with the pudding (it never gets eaten!) but do try and do my cake now.
This year I'll be doing my own Stir Up Monday though, since I forgot to soak my fruit overnight last night - so at least I've *started* the cake today....
What about others?
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: North Wales
Posts: 473
Americans don't have Christmas cake?!?!
You're right Sue, it is a type of heavy fruit cake with sultanas, raisins, currants, cherries, mixed peel etc., usually laced with alcohol (I'm doing brandy this year). Traditionally the cake is then covered with marzipan (ground almond paste) and then white icing (not frosting, but firm icing) over that. The top has some form of decoration - shops sell ready made cake ornaments like snowmen, Christmas trees, reindeer etc (some edible) or of course you can make your own.
QuiltE - I like your style!
You're right Sue, it is a type of heavy fruit cake with sultanas, raisins, currants, cherries, mixed peel etc., usually laced with alcohol (I'm doing brandy this year). Traditionally the cake is then covered with marzipan (ground almond paste) and then white icing (not frosting, but firm icing) over that. The top has some form of decoration - shops sell ready made cake ornaments like snowmen, Christmas trees, reindeer etc (some edible) or of course you can make your own.
QuiltE - I like your style!
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 17,827
Yes! ....If I could only have one, Christmas Cake or any of the other holiday goodies, my choice would be Christmas Cake.
It's often given a bad rep .... yes some CC is dreadful. Though many others are overly delightful in every way! Mine is all whole fruit/nuts and with the aging they soften up so you can easily cut the cake.
And yes, Christmas Cake and Fruitcake are pretty much one and the same here in North America. There are so many different variations in the ingredients. Also whether it's dark, medium or light. So from one to the other it can appear so not the same!
It's often given a bad rep .... yes some CC is dreadful. Though many others are overly delightful in every way! Mine is all whole fruit/nuts and with the aging they soften up so you can easily cut the cake.
And yes, Christmas Cake and Fruitcake are pretty much one and the same here in North America. There are so many different variations in the ingredients. Also whether it's dark, medium or light. So from one to the other it can appear so not the same!
#7
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Bacliff, TX on Galveston Bay
Posts: 1,174
Another "fruitcake"
I have a recipe from a friend's mother that calls for white raisins, not so much of the dried fruit and pecans. It is really good! Different than the regular fruitcake recipe that people make jokes about throwing at each other. I'm not sure how far in advance we make it.
Kathy in TX
Kathy in TX
#8
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Oak Ridge, NC
Posts: 133
Kathy, I would love to have your recipe if you don't mind sharing. Sounds like something my family would like better than the one with too much fruit.
I have a recipe from a friend's mother that calls for white raisins, not so much of the dried fruit and pecans. It is really good! Different than the regular fruitcake recipe that people make jokes about throwing at each other. I'm not sure how far in advance we make it.
Kathy in TX
Kathy in TX
#9
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,538
I love fruitcake! I know a lot of people hate it but that's usually because they haven't had the homemade kind. Panchita is that the tradition where everyone takes a turn stirring the mixture? When I was growing up we all helped my mom do her fruitcakes before Christmas. My job was to remove the skins from the almonds after they had soaked. My mom always did a pretty flower design on the tops of cakes. She used the almonds for the petals with a half candied cherry for the center. Wow what good memories this topic brings to mind!
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Windhoek, Namibia
Posts: 639
DD made 5 at the beginning of the month. We're turning them over every Thursday and painting them with brandy. We traditionally give three away as gifts to very good friends after she has iced them. She is studying to be a chef and took over this task from me when she was 17. She is very creative with the icing and loves thinking of something new each year.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
craftybear
Recipes
8
09-30-2011 08:32 PM
Scissor Queen
General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
1
09-04-2011 01:48 PM
craftybear
Recipes
5
05-28-2011 03:56 AM
ButtercreamCakeArtist
Pictures
42
10-01-2007 07:29 PM