Rum-soaked dried fruits, gingerbread cakes, eggnog drizzled cakes and many more. Below is a list of all the holiday cakes you can think of. 

The holiday season is upon us and as always, food is the star of the season- next to love, family and friendship of course. While we still have plenty of time to think about turkey, roast beef, and glazed ham, I feel like it couldn’t hurt to start thinking about all the holiday cakes we can come up with, no? 

Fruit Cake et al

The Christmas season is all about the traditional fruit cake and while fruit cake is an interesting choice, it doesn’t have to be limited to that. If you like the taste of a boozy soaked cake, then this Holiday Rum Bundt cake by Reluctant Entertainer will do you good. All you need is a boxed cake and a bottle of rum and you’re off to enjoy the syrupy goodness of this cake. Okay, fine it takes more ingredients than that but it’s definitely easier and quicker to make than your traditional fruit cake.

Oh wait, did you say you want to make a more challenging cake? I got you! This “World’s Best Fruitcake” claimed by A Beautiful Plate takes 26 hours to make. It supposedly turns fruit cake cynics into converts! And I think I can see why. The particular cake soaks up to 7 different types of dried fruits with the addition of crystallized ginger for flavour and zing. If you want something relatively easier with fewer ingredients, then Martha Stewart’s Backhouse Family Fruitcake will do just fine. Same boozy delicious cake, with less amount of work (ish). 

Holiday Layered Cake

This is for those who aim to impress everyone at the dinner table. Layer cakes may not be as tedious as the 26-hour fruit cake, but it still requires time and hard work. The only difference really is that these cakes are less sticky and are prettier to look at. Holiday layer cake flavours can be as simple as a Chocolate Peppermint Cake or it can be warmer like a Holiday Gingerbread Cake or it could be something decadent like an Eggnog Cake. Whichever flavours you choose, it’s guaranteed that each bite will give you the perfect Christmas feel. 

Other Traditional Holiday Cakes That Are Not Fruit Cakes

Yule Log Cake or Bûche De Noël is a festive chocolate roll cake filled with whipped cream. It’s light, moist and easy to make. It’s also a great make-ahead cake as it stores well in the freezer. Yule log cakes can either be made with flour like this one from Stress Baking or a gluten-free version like this one from Christina’s Cucina. 

Think of Panettone as an Italian fluffy Christmas loaf. This holiday cake (or bread?) is folded with rum-soaked dried fruits. This recipe from Ricardo Cuisine shows you a step-by-step guide on how to make Panettone including how to hang it upside down. 

Published by HOLR Magazine.