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9 best step-by-step homemade Christmas cake recipes

At Christmas, it is customary to bake a Christmas fragrant cake containing a lot of dried fruits, nuts, candied fruits. All kinds of spices and aromatic additives give the product an inimitable Christmas scent. With conventional baked goods, the freshness decreases after two or three days. And the Christmas cake gets tastier over time.

Content

1 History of the dish
2 Basic requirements and preparation of basic ingredients
3 Dough preparation
4 The subtleties of proper baking
5 How to decorate cupcakes properly?
6 Christmas Cupcake Recipes
7 Baking storage rules

History of the dish

Christmas cake is an ancient English tradition. It was originally a porridge with plums, which was served at Christmas as a transition from fasting to light food. Later, dried fruits, spices, honey were added to the porridge.In the 16th century, butter, flour, eggs were added to the recipe. The result is boiled pudding. Later, new spices were brought in. In the 19th century, it was already a real, baked cake containing citrus zest, nuts, candied fruits from local and exotic fruits and berries.

Nowadays, cupcakes are not so popular, but they are still found on our table. However, in England it is a symbol of Christmas. Not a single family can do without it. The most delicious is the English Christmas cake.

Basic requirements and preparation of basic ingredients

Traditionally, pastries were prepared a month or a month and a half before Christmas. This was done so that there was time for the baked product to mature. The entire period of infusion of the cake is sprinkled with alcohol every three days. Thanks to this technique, only the aroma remains after the evaporation of alcohol.

A large amount of nuts, candied fruits and dried fruits are used. Sometimes there are more of these components than the test. Dried and sun-dried fruits and berries are cut into pieces, freeing them from seeds. Add candied fruits and roasted nuts, sprinkle with spices. The mixture is placed in a convenient container, filled with alcohol, kept for a week, periodically shaking the contents. For half a kilogram of the mixture, take half a glass of alcohol.

If you don't have time to age the fruit mixture for a week, you can do it one night. To do this, mix alcohol with hot tea. When using boiling water, the ingredients are quickly soaked, and are ready by morning.

Dough preparation

Christmas baking dough contains many muffins and additives in the form of nuts and dried fruits. A mixture of fruits and nuts aged in an alcoholic drink interferes with the finished dough.

Each housewife has her own recipe for making dough. They may differ slightly in quantity, composition of ingredients, type of spices.

Even the order in which the products are mixed is different. But, regardless of the recipe, the dough is prepared without yeast, and therefore quickly and not difficult. For long-term preservation of the softness of baking, honey is added to the dough, molasses - as preservatives.

The subtleties of proper baking

The form is lined with parchment paper, greased with odorless vegetable oil. They are baked at a low temperature, not higher than one hundred and forty degrees. The duration depends on the size of the product, it can be up to four hours. Readiness is checked with a wooden splinter, toothpick or match.

The finished cake cools in a tin covered with foil. After complete cooling, preferably the next day, the finished product is removed from the mold.

How to decorate cupcakes properly?

At Christmas, a decorated muffin is served along with other meals. Decorate in different ways, to your taste. Some housewives simply sprinkle the product with powdered sugar. Others are covered with fondant, sugar, or protein glaze. The snow-white finish looks beautiful on its own. Until it has frozen, the surface is decorated with nuts, candied berries, marzipan. They also install mastic figures and sprinkle the top with cake sprinkles.

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Christmas Cupcake Recipes

According to old customs, there must be a Christmas cake on the festive table. Modern housewives have a large selection of various recipes for this pastry. They can choose a Christmas cupcake according to their taste and their family's taste preferences.

Traditional Aged Recipe

If the hostesses have chosen this particular recipe, they should start baking a month before the holiday.

Required products:

4 large eggs;
120 milliliters 20% cream;
a glass of fine sugar with a slide;
150 grams of melted butter;
1.5 cups flour;
200 grams of dried fruit;
280 grams of white raisins;
60 grams of almonds;
2 teaspoons of the mixture (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom)
citrus zest;
a bag of baking powder;
50 milliliters of quality cognac.

Cooking starts with the filling. Raisins are cleared of twigs and seeds. After that, you need to sort out dried fruits selected to your taste. Wash everything thoroughly, dry a little, cut into small pieces. Transfer to a deep bowl, pour over with alcohol. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for seven days. To ensure that all dried fruits are equally saturated, they must be stirred daily.

Dry the almonds in the oven before chopping them. The almonds will be ready in ten minutes.

After seven days, when the dried fruit is soaked, you can start baking. Kill butter with sugar. When preparing the dough, it is better to use a mixer. Drive the eggs into the mass one by one. Add zest, spices, flour and baking powder. Finally, stir in the nuts, the soaked fruit.

Bake in a pan for three hours. Soak the cupcake with alcohol without removing it from the mold. Keep warm for twelve hours wrapped in foil. After this period, the cake is removed from the mold, wrapped in baking paper, foil. For a month, sprinkle baked goods with cognac every three days.

English christmas cupcake

This pastry is distinguished by an abundance of fillings from various dried fruits, spices, and nuts.

Prepare for the test:

a glass of cane sugar;
4 medium-sized eggs;
a glass (top) of flour;
70 milliliters of good cognac;
lemon zest;
60 grams of walnuts;
a bag of baking powder;
a coffee spoon of ginger;
200 grams of soft butter.

Filling products:

a teaspoon (no top) of cinnamon and cardamom;
240 grams of dates, dried apricots, prunes;
240 grams of a mixture of dried raisins and cherries;
50 grams of walnuts;
6 tablespoons of orange juice
half a glass of lemon juice;
a coffee spoon of lemon zest;
170 milliliters of cognac.

Mix brandy, juice, spices, zest, washed dried fruits, chopped together with nuts.Keep in the cold for a week. Beat melted butter with sugar, salt, eggs, adding them one by one. Add chopped, roasted nuts, zest, ginger, cognac, baking powder, soaked dried fruits. Bake for three hours.

Sprinkle the prepared cake with alcohol, without taking it out of the mold, wrap it in foil. After twelve hours, remove the cake, wrap it in paper, foil. Sprinkle with alcohol once a week. The cupcake is ready in a few weeks.

With the addition of dried fruits

In this version, dried fruits are selected individually.

Ingredients:

600 grams of your favorite dried fruits;
a glass of rum;
4 eggs;
1.5 cups flour;
a glass of crushed almonds;
200 grams of butter;
a bag of baking powder;
half a coffee spoon of vanillin;
the same amount of cinnamon;
0.5 dessert spoons of a mixture of nutmeg, cardamom, cloves;
2 glasses of sugar.

Dried fruits to stand in rum for a week. Beat butter with fine-grained sugar, eggs. Mix with the rest of the products. Bake the kneaded dough.

German Christmas Cupcake Stolen

The cupcake is baked from yeast dough a month before the holiday. Required components:

200 grams of dried apricots, raisins;
250 grams of roasted almonds;
half a glass of cognac;
2 eggs;
250 grams of butter;
a coffee spoon of cinnamon;
2 glasses of milk;
75 grams of fine sugar;
lemon;
50 grams of compressed yeast.

Before preparing the cake, dried fruits are kept in brandy for a week.Dissolve yeast in warm milk, add a spoonful of sugar, two - flour. Add crushed butter with sugar, flour to the dough. Knead the dough, let it rise. Stir in dried fruits, nuts, zest, cinnamon. Keep warm for three hours. Bake. Withstand for two to four weeks.

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Quick option with tangerines

Cupcake with tangerines is prepared quickly, the shelf life is short.

Components:

150 grams of butter;
a glass with top sugar;
3 eggs;
3/4 cup flour
a bag of baking powder;
2 large tangerines;
150 grams of dried fruits;
0.5 cut glass of orange liqueur.

Pour the dried fruit with liqueur for an hour. Melt a spoonful of butter in a frying pan, with a teaspoon of sugar, fry the tangerine slices. Put the browned fruit on a plate. Fry dried fruits soaked in liquor here. Beat butter with sugar and eggs. Add flour with baking powder, dried fruit, mandarin slices. Bake a cake.

Festive pastries Chadeyka

Another simple pastry with your favorite candied fruits.

Required products:

120 grams of oil;
1.5 cups of sugar;
10 eggs;
2.5 cups flour;
150 grams of raisins, candied fruits;
200 grams of dried cranberries.

Grind sugar with yolks and butter, add flour, add whipped whites in small portions. Add candied fruits, raisins, cranberries. Mix. Bake.

Christmas Cupcake Belonica

This pastry is distinguished by the presence of dark molasses and a high content of dried fruits.

It is necessary:

700 grams of dried fruits;
a third of a glass of liquor;
juice of half an orange;
2 eggs;
half a glass of flour;
100 grams of oil;
a large spoonful of molasses;
50 grams of ground almonds;
a teaspoon of spices.

Various dried fruits are cut, the berries are left intact. Mix with juice and liqueur, leave overnight. The dough is prepared in the morning. Beat butter with almonds, spices, half flour. The eggs are beaten with molasses. Both masses are combined with the remaining flour and infused fruit. Baked until tender.

How to cook an Italian recipe

Panettone is baked in Italy. The composition of this pastry is very similar to the German Shtolen. The only difference is that Panettone does not need to be insisted for several weeks. Therefore, it is baked on the eve of Christmas.

Products:

half a kilo of durum wheat flour;
a third of a glass of milk;
15 grams of compressed yeast;
150 grams of butter;
150 grams of sugar;
a teaspoon of malt;
4 eggs;
3 yolks;
50 grams of raisins, dried cherries and cranberries;
100 grams of candied citrus fruits;
vanillin;
half a glass of brandy.

Raisins and berries insist in alcohol.Mix warm milk with 10 grams of yeast, a teaspoon of sugar, malt, half a glass of flour. Leave for an hour and a half. Then add 2 eggs, 50 grams of melted butter, yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, a glass of flour into the dough. Mix thoroughly and stand for three hours. In the last step, add the remaining products. Knead the dough for ten minutes or more. Let it come up and bake.

Gingerbread Treat for Christmas

One of the traditional Christmas treats is gingerbread.

Gingerbread cookies, composition:

1.5 cups flour;
2 coffee spoons of ground ginger;
a coffee spoon of cinnamon;
a coffee spoon of grated nutmeg;
the same amount of ground cloves;
a bag of baking powder;
4 yolks;
2 glasses of sugar;
a glass of milk;
faceted glass of honey;
50 grams of butter.

For glaze:

2 squirrels;
half a glass of powdered sugar;
a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Dry components are mixed. The yolks are ground with sugar until the crystals dissolve. Milk, honey, butter are heated before mixing the products, but not boiled. The rest are added to the dry components, the dough is kneaded. Roll out into a cake, cut out various figures. Bake until tender. The cooled cookies are decorated with icing.For the glaze, beat the whites until firm, adding the icing sugar. Add lemon juice at the end, beat.