Traveling with Christmas cakes – Lifestyle News

Italian Panettone

This domed sponge cake originated in Milan and is extremely popular not only in Europe but in several parts of the world. The recipe for this cake is similar to sourdough and includes rising three times before baking. Although it is traditionally cooked with raisins and candied fruits, people have come up with different versions and use dollops of chocolate and cream to satisfy their taste buds.

Bibingka from the Philippines

Bibinka is a kind of cake made from rice and coconut milk wrapped in banana leaves. This Southeast Asian country loves Christmas and expresses its love through its own Christmas cake. While Philipponos are certainly proud of this mouth-watering cake, it is not limited to the country itself and is also popular in other Asian countries where Christmas is all the rage.

The Christmas Log of France

The Bûche de Noël was made popular by French bakers in the 1900s and this type of dessert is probably the first thing that comes to mind when we hear “Christmas cake”. Covered in chocolate or coffee buttercream textured to resemble tree bark, this sponge cake, also called a Yule log, has a very distinctive log appearance. The logs are garnished with meringue mushrooms, edible foliage or sprinkled icing sugar.

Bolo Rei from Portugal

Like a royal crown, the Bolo Rei, or king cake, is circular with a hole in the middle and is covered with candied fruits and nuts. Its shape is ideal for its nomenclature. The cake is filled with dried fruits, candied fruits and almonds to imitate a king’s crown. Originating from France, this classic Portuguese Christmas cake arrived in Portugal in the mid-1800s. Legend has it that the wise men once argued over who would get the chance to present their gifts to the baby Jesus. A bean was added to Bolo Rei by a baker, and whoever discovered the bean in their piece of cake would be the one. It is now customary that the person who discovers a bean in the slice of their cake is the one who will pay for the cake next Christmas.

Pio Quinto from Nicaragua

With the addition of alcohol, pio quinto is a hybrid of a cake and a custard. Typically dipped in rum as their preferred spirit, this cake is topped with layers of custard and sprinkled with cinnamon for an extra burst of flavor.

Makowiec from Poland

The most popular Christmas dessert among Poles is a kind of Swiss roll with delicious filling and yeast dough. Makoweic, filled with poppy seeds, cheese, almonds, apples or jam and flavored with orange zest, offers a delicately balanced combination of savory and sweet flavors.

Kurisumasu keki from Japan

This sweet and light cake, made with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and an airy sponge cake, is a popular decoration in store windows across the country throughout the month of December. Japanese Christmas cakes are works of art that are more a part of Japanese culture than Christmas itself, and they are probably one of the few cakes that deviate from the usual alcohol-soaked fruit cakes of Europe.

Gugelhupf of Vienna

A round, packet-shaped cake, Gugelhupf is popular throughout Central Europe, especially Austria. Usually marbled, it is a must in Vienna’s bakeries. For Christmas, flavors like mulled wine are often incorporated into the cake to make it a special treat.

Christstollen, Germany

Candied citrus peels, almonds, spices, dried fruits and powdered sugar are all stuffed into this dense cake. It needs to rise and rest several times to get the ideal texture due to the amount of filling it contains, which can take up to four days.

This classic German fruitcake was first made during medieval fasting times in the 15th century. Although this cake is now popular throughout Europe, the original recipe is still used today and is considered the authentic stollen, a type of bread.