Over-decorated Christmas cake
By Fleur
@Fleura (31371)
United Kingdom
January 25, 2025 4:17am CST
I meant to show you this ages ago, of course. My partner is very partial to the traditional Christmas cake. I was never overly fond of it, but now having modified the recipe a little (replacing currants with cranberries, apricots and figs) I like it a lot better. The girls are still not keen but making one is part of the Christmas tradition – and for them the cake is mainly a vehicle for over-the-top decorating.
We have quite a collection of cake decorations accumulated over the years, including at least six Father Christmas figures. One I just bought last year because it appealed to me although I admit we really don’t need any more.
The most ornate came back with me from America. Another and the larger snowman, together with the flowers, I bought over the years from my favourite family-run department store, sadly since closed down. The shiniest one, along with the house, the deer and the trees, date from my childhood, along with the robin, while the people in the toboggan and another house you can hardly see in this picture (made from some sort of plaster I think, as they pre-date plastic) are from my mother’s childhood. There are a few others as well but we just couldn’t really fit any more on!
All these decorations make it hard to actually cut a slice of cake, but decorating the cake is one fun activity in the run-up to Christmas so we don’t want to give it up.
Maybe one day the girls will do the same with their own children. And maybe by then they might actually enjoy eating the cake too!
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2025.
14 people like this
14 responses
@BarBaraPrz (49083)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
25 Jan
Maybe next year you could make a sheet cake instead of the round one... more room to decorate. 
What do you do with the thingies? Just lick off the icing and put them aside or tell a story connected to them. I suppose you eat the little silver balls, but they're just about as inedible as the rest of the decorations.
What do you do with the thingies? Just lick off the icing and put them aside or tell a story connected to them. I suppose you eat the little silver balls, but they're just about as inedible as the rest of the decorations.3 people like this
@Fleura (31371)
• United Kingdom
27 Jan
Normally we have to prise the decorations off as we get to them so we can try to cut a slice. Although cutting through the rock-hard icing is very difficult too!
One year we did make a thinner, rectangular cake and built a whole gingerbread village on the top populated with the usual characters. I thought I had a picture of it but I can't find it now.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (49083)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
27 Jan
@Fleura That would be nice to see.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (31371)
• United Kingdom
27 Jan
@BarBaraPrz I can't find it anywhere now!
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (144474)
• United States
25 Jan
Over decorated, true but it's still cute... Have you considered making a different type of cake for the holidays? There is a really good cake we make here called a 30 day cake. It takes a "starter" and you add something to the cake recipe every day before making the cake on the 30th day. It's fruit filled and creamy. I haven't made one in years because it's so fattening. (The recipe actually makes 3 cakes but you don't have to make all three at the same time.)
It is delicious and NOTHING like a fruit cake bought from the store! (American fruitcakes bought from the store are good for door stops, hockey pucks and for throwing in the trash. I don't know how anyone likes eating them!
)
)2 people like this
@Fleura (31371)
• United Kingdom
25 Jan
I did try making a lighter cake once. Went back to the traditional one though. Granny always makes a chocolate 'Yule log' which the girls like but it's too sickly for me (of course I could make a different version). Another appeal of the traditional cake I think is that it keeps such a long time. We haven't finished eating it yet. That wouldn't be the case with a chocolate cake for example.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (144474)
• United States
25 Jan
@Fleura The 30 day cake I described can be kept in the fridge for a week before it goes bad... but when I made them, they never lasted that long, anyway. They can be kept in the freezer for several months but again, they don't last that long.
I wish I could taste your cake... I might like it, too.
One of my friends makes a pumpkin cake in a thin layer, spreads cream cheese over it and rolls it into a log. You cut slices off the end of it and it's delicious! I'm sure a chocolate cake could be done the same way.
Edit to add: A store bought fruit cake here can stay "fresh" and "edible" (to some people) for decades but that doesn't mean most of us will eat it.
I wish I could taste your cake... I might like it, too.
One of my friends makes a pumpkin cake in a thin layer, spreads cream cheese over it and rolls it into a log. You cut slices off the end of it and it's delicious! I'm sure a chocolate cake could be done the same way.
Edit to add: A store bought fruit cake here can stay "fresh" and "edible" (to some people) for decades but that doesn't mean most of us will eat it. 1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (49083)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
25 Jan
@DaddyEvil Dowse it with rum or brandy...
2 people like this
@mayka123 (16975)
• India
26 Jan
Wow, it sounds like your Christmas cake tradition is filled with so many special memories and lovely touches! I love how you’ve made the recipe your own with the cranberries, apricots, and figs—what a great way to put a twist on something traditional. The cake decorations sound amazing, too—what a collection! It’s nice to hear how they’ve been passed down through generations.
It’s true, decorating the cake is almost as important as eating it, and I bet the girls will come around to enjoying it one day. I can imagine how much fun it must be to spend time together on that. Who knows, maybe they’ll carry on the tradition with their own little ones! ??
1 person likes this
@allknowing (142983)
• India
25 Jan
I always bake the date and walnut cake but this timeI did not I was too tired
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (52186)
• United States
28 Jan
It looks very festive. I love fruitcake. My mama made the most scrumptious.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (83416)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Jan
I happen to love that cake it is so lively and interesting and if the cake tasted good then that was a plus,
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (14892)
• Torrington, Connecticut
28 Jan
@Fleura All is well Thank God just staying busy lol
1 person likes this
@florelway (23358)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
26 Jan
It is very nice. Maybe a bigger cake where you can put all those cake decors is better and it is easier to slice too.
1 person likes this
