The traditional rich fruit cake associated with Christmas has its roots in Twelfth Cakes, initially consumed during Twelfth Night parties marking the end of the 12 Days of Christmas on January 5th in the UK. These cakes started as enriched fruit cakes, akin to Italian Pantone Christmas Cakes. Over time, it became fashionable to adorn the cakes with large iced decorations, using ‘Royal Icing,’ showcasing affluence by indicating the ability to afford copious amounts of sugar for the icing. Consequently, the cake evolved to be denser, richer, and filled with fruit to support the icing.
During the industrial revolution in the UK, the significance of the 12 Days of Christmas waned, especially as more people resided in urban areas and had to return to work promptly after Christmas and Boxing Day. Consequently, the major celebrations shifted to Christmas rather than Twelfth Night, leading to the transformation of Twelfth Cakes into Christmas Cakes. The term “Christmas Cake” first gained popularity in countries like Australia and New Zealand.
Originally, Twelfth Cakes featured a bean or pea baked within, and the person finding it would become the King or Queen of the Twelfth Night party. Alternatively, there might be both a bean and a pea, designating the King and Queen, respectively. In the 1700s and 1800s, the tradition shifted to writing the King and Queen on bits of paper placed in the cake. As time passed, the custom of placing tokens in a dish transitioned to the Christmas Pudding, which also gained popularity as a festive dish, particularly at Victorian afternoon teas.
Countries with strong historic connections to the UK, like the UK itself, often have elaborate ‘iced’ Christmas cakes. In contrast, other countries opt for rich fruit cakes with minimal or no decoration, occasionally featuring a simple glaze or topped with nuts. Additionally, various countries have unique Christmas and Epiphany cakes, such as Panettone in Italy, Roscón in Spain, Bûche de Noël in France, Rosca de Reyes in Mexico, Christmas cake in Japan, Hole Cake in Norway, Kerstkrans in The Netherlands, and Stollen in Germany.
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