Christmas Cake History & Traditions Around The World

The truth is, none of the Christmas cake versions you see in American supermarkets were invented in America.

That’s not a con but rather an advantage – you’re free to choose any treat you like without feeling guilt for betraying ancestor traditions.

People in numerous regions consider some kind of fruitcake to be the traditional Christmas dessert.

Italian Panettone, Scottish Dundee, Colombian Torta Negra, and German Stollen essentially are customized Christmas puddings, yet each is delicious and unique.

Some countries, though, present the world with entirely different Christmas cakes.

For instance, the Yule Log roulette, popular in Western Europe and Canada, doesn’t feature dried fruits or nuts, nor is it round-shaped. Instead, its story and look stem from ancient pagan traditions.

Furthermore, in the north, Christmas cakes aren’t traditional at all. Swedish, Norse, and Finnish people prefer buns, rice pudding, or cookies to any fruitcake.

What Is The Traditional Christmas Cake?

While each country has a unique Christmas cake tradition, the commonly accepted version is the British pudding cake.

It started out in the 14th century as a regular plum porridge that was very filling, which was beneficial after a day of fasting. However, it had nearly nothing in common with the dessert we know today.

Later, dried fruits and honey were added to the recipe. In the 16th century, oatmeal in the recipe was replaced with eggs, butter, and flour, and porridge officially became a cake.

Finally, wealthy families began adding marzipan, spices, and almond sugar paste. Spices symbolized the Three Wise Men who brought exotic eastern spices to Bethlehem.

Today, you can find different versions of Christmas pudding. It can be moist or dry, leavened or unleavened, of any shape, and featuring other fruits.

But traditionally, Christmas pudding is round and glazed with white sugar paste. The typical Christmas pudding decorations include berries, leaves, and Christmas figurines.

Scottish Christmas Cake

Not the entire British Isle observes the tradition of eating pudding cake for Christmas.

Instead, Scottish people often replace it with whiskey Dundee, a light crumbly cake featuring raisins, currants, almonds, and, unsurprisingly, whiskey. After all, Scotland is the largest whisky producer in the world!

We don’t know for sure when the whiskey Dundee was first introduced, but the recipe was already popular in Scotland in the early 19th century.

Some believe that the cake was initially created for Queen Mary of Scots in the 16th century.

Legends tell Queen Mary didn’t like cherries which were traditional in Christmas cakes at that time.

So local bakers made a version of Christmas cake without cherries and added almonds, currants, and whisky. The top of the cake was decorated with whole almonds.

The cake quickly became Queen Mary’s favorite, and soon the locals started to bake the cake for their Christmas celebrations.

To this day, the Dundee cake’s recipe didn’t change, and it’s considered a Scottish specialty along with shortbread and whisky. You can easily find the whiskey Dundee cake on shelves of any Scottish grocery store.

Yule Log

Another traditional Christmas cake in many countries is the Yule Log, known as Bûche de Noël in French. It was first created in France back in the 19th century and is especially favored in Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and Netherlands.

Name and appearance of the cake stem from the ancient tradition of burning the Yule Log. The custom is so old that its roots are hard to track, but historians believe it dates to Germanic and Nordic pagans.

They used to burn entire trees during winter solstice festivals as a sign of the soon spring arrival.

Later the tradition spread to England and Europe, and finally, came to the US. Christians believe that the ritual of burning the Yule Log grants good luck and associate the fire with beacons guiding the Christ child.

So, the Yule Log dessert is a sponge cake roulette filled with buttercream or chocolate cream. Sometimes, you can find versions with ganache, liqueur, or mocha filling.

What truly distinguishes the Yule Log cake from a regular sponge roulette is its appearance.

The cake is usually decorated to resemble a log, featuring berries, leaves, mushrooms (not real!), and other nature-inspired elements. In addition, the surface is often textured to look like a tree trunk.

The King Cake

During the Victorian Era, many British, French, and American people changed their Christmas cake preferences.

Instead of the pudding cake, people started making the King Cake that appeared in the Middle Ages and was popularized by French colonials.

The recipes of the King Cake differ depending on the region. In France, it’s usually puff pastry filled with frangipane.

In Portugal, the cake features soft white dough with raisins and nuts. So, what makes the King Cake unique? A little secret that is hidden inside it.

The King Cake always features a bean or a small baby figurine that represents infant Jesus. Whoever gets the piece with bean or figurine when the cake is cut is believed to be lucky the entire year.

However, the King Cake is mainly associated with Epiphany rather than Christmas. Its name is derived from the second name of Epiphany, The Feast of the Three Kings.

Christmas Cake in the US

There’s no particular Christmas cake tradition in the US. Depending on the state and personal preferences, people tend to eat either Christmas pudding, Yule Log cake, or King Cake.

However, some people get more creative and invent their own Christmas cake traditions.

Still, the Christmas cake that made it to the US the first was pudding. First mentions of Christmas pudding in the US date to the early 19th century.

Over time, the recipe was adapted – the American-style Christmas pudding is often decorated with colorful candied cherries and pineapples and features a wide variety of nuts.

Christmas Cakes in Asia

It’s no surprise Asian culture differs from American in many ways, and cuisine is no exception. For example, in Japan, people don’t eat Christmas pudding or the Yule Log cake.

Instead, the Japanese make a sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries. White and red, what could be a better choice for Christmas?

In the Philippines, Christmas desserts are usually sunny yellow pound cakes featuring nuts and dried fruits.

That sounds similar to the pudding cake, but the ingredients are soaked in rum or brandy, and mixed with palm sugar.

Christmas Cakes in Scandinavia

Many people in Scandinavia have adopted the tradition of baking the Yule Log or fruitcake for Christmas.

However, initially, Swedish people didn’t eat cakes for Christmas but made saffron buns called Lussekatter, translating as “Lucy’s cats,” commemorating Saint Lucia.

In Norway, people often made the traditional Ring Cake, or Kransekaka, a tall ground almond flourless cake.

A common alternative to Christmas cake is Fattigman, oil-fried cookies with cream filling, or vanilla-scented rosette cookies.

Finnish people, like the British, prefer pudding for Christmas, but instead of a cake, they eat regular rice pudding.

Christmas Cakes in Western Europe

Christmas pudding cakes are very popular in Western Europe, though some regions have no less exciting alternatives.

For instance, the Germans celebrate Christmas with Stollen, fruit bread with nuts, candied fruit, and marzipan in sugar glaze.

Interestingly enough, Stollen wasn’t invented in Germany. It was first baked at the Council of Trent in Italy in 1545.

That’s right; Stollen appeared even earlier than the Yule Log cake. But it has become so popular in Germany that today, people in Dresden even host an annual Stollen festival.

Despite inventing Stollen, Italians consider a different cake to be the traditional Christmas cake – Panettone.

It’s also a version of a fruit cake, though Panettone is made with sourdough bread and traditionally has a tall cylindrical shape.

In the Verona region, people often eat Pandoro instead of Panettone. It’s typically star-shaped and vanilla-scented, lacking any fruits or nuts.

Christmas Cakes in Eastern Europe

Despite a noticeable difference in Christmas traditions and even celebration dates, Eastern Europe is similar to the Western world when it comes to cakes.

People in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and neighboring countries bake a Christmas fruitcake that’s usually round with a hole in the center and covered with sugar powder.

Apart from the fruitcake, people in Eastern Europe often eat gingerbread men. But these aren’t the thin, crispy cookies we’re used to.

Instead, Eastern European gingerbread men, called Pryaniki, are puffy, thick, and much darker. Sometimes, people made gingerbread houses from Pryaniki.

Christmas Cakes in Southern America

The Christmas dessert menu in Southern America is similar to that in the US but carries a unique tropical vibe.

For instance, after arriving in Brazil, the Portuguese Bolo de Natal fruitcake recipe was adapted.

Instead of refined sugar, Brazilians use cane sugar and generously cover the cake with fruits. Other typical Brazilian Christmas desserts include Italian Panettone and Rabanadas, also known as French toast.

People in Colombia, Peru, and Argentina also prefer either the Christmas pudding cake or Panettone.

One notable Christmas cake recipe is Torta Negra, originating in Colombia. It’s a dark wine-rum cake with candied fruit, nuts, and spice.

Yes, that’s yet another version of a fruitcake, but a truly delicious one.

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