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

FAQs

How long does Nigella's chocolate Christmas cake last? ›

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.

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.

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.

Panettone

Starting off with Italy's most well known Christmas treat, Panettone is a cross between a cake and sweet bread and is filled with almonds and dried fruit. Originally invented in Milan in the 15th century and served at feasts due to its hard-to-procure ingredients.

The mixture can easily survive overnight.

Once cut, Christmas cakes will store well if wrapped and kept in an airtight container. For longer storage of Christmas cakes wrap closely in kitchen foil and freeze.

What is the best alcohol to put in a Christmas cake? A reasonably strong spirit (such as whisky, rum or brandy) with a warm, fiery flavour or a sweet liqueur (such as cherry brandy or amaretto – NOT a cream liqueur) will compliment the flavour of the cake, and help to preserve the cake, so it will keep for longer.

Cognac is probably the best substitute for brandy in fruitcake. That's because cognac is basically fancy brandy. The naming is just a bit of technicality.

If you are making the cake more than 3 months in advance then you will need to "feed" it occasionally to help it to stay moist. Feeding involves brushing the surface of the cake with a couple of tablespoons of alcohol (brandy, whisky or bourbon are the most popular choices).

Most recipes call for dried fruit to be soaked overnight. I take a speedy approach: just microwave the dried fruit with juice and/or brandy, then stand for 1 hour to soak up the liquid. So much faster – and just as effective! Other than that, there's nothing unusual about how this fruit cake is made.

Why do you wrap Christmas cake in brown paper? ›

Wrapping the tin in brown paper helps slow the baking of the cake to a more steady temperature, avoiding the outside of the cake being overdone (or worse, burnt) while the inside is still raw.

You don't need to poke right down to the bottom of the cake but go as far down as you can without damaging the base. We then pour liquid into those holes. The amount of liquid we use to feed a Christmas cake is about two tablespoons every two weeks. We don't want any excess liquid leaking out of the cake.

Utterly distinct from the fruity, boozey density of British Christmas cake, Japanese Christmas cake, or 'kurisumasu keki,' is a light sponge cake, covered in a layer of whipped cream and decorated with ripe strawberries. A delicious alternative dessert to serve up on Christmas day, and so easy to make as well.

Panettone tends to be a little more expensive than most other baked goods, mainly due to the amount of time that goes into making each one. A traditional panettone is usually a lengthy procedure, however, a cheap mass-produced alternative will take shortcuts in the baking process which will be reflected in its taste.

Christmas would not be Christmas without plentiful panettone and pandoro, the Italian Christmas cakes, appearing on Italian tables. Panettone and pandoro are the most popular Christmas cakes eaten during the Christmas period in Italy.

Like most rich fruit cakes, it benefits from a maturing period and being fed with some extra alcohol, though in the book it is suggested that the keeping time is 6 weeks and generally we suggest if keeping the cake for longer than this then the cake should be frozen as it will keep for a year.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these seemingly indestructible pastries typically stay fresh for six months in the pantry and up to a year when refrigerated. But anecdotally we know that they can last for decades; some of the oldest have been preserved for more than a century.

Most cakes can be stored in a freezer for up to one month, or in the fridge for one week. Cakes are best sliced frozen for crisp edges, but for the best flavor, allow your leftover cake to hang at room temperature for thirty minutes to an hour before digging in.

Storing and Freezing Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

Store this cake on the counter, under a glass dome or in one of those retro Tupperware cake holders. If your household can resist temptation, the cake will stay fresh for one week.