It’s Beginning to Taste A Lot Like Christmas

One of the things that make Christmas christmasy for me is the food. Somehow Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas without certain epicurean experiences. And it’s not the savory foods that do it for me – no, I do not think about baked ham or roasted turkeys. Christmas for me is defined by all the sweet treats of the season. (Yes, my sweet tooth is quite legendary in this family). Weeks before Christmas I would start dreaming of fruit cakes, mince pies, chocolates, cookies and what have you…

This year, the festivities have had a rather late start for me. I have been too busy to do hardly any Christmas baking. My fruit cake attempt a couple of weeks ago could hardly be called a “resounding success”. But… all is well…

A friend of my brother made us a brandied fruit cake, and it is delicious! It isn’t too sweet (hard to find in commercial ready-made fruit cakes), has a nice, tender crumb and is moist with a balanced taste of brandy. It has a nice homey feel to it – simply decorated, without glazing etc. Our family doesn’t like glazed cherries in or on our fruit cakes, so this suits us to a T.

Apparently, she takes orders for her cakes, which she bakes part-time (over and above her full time job). She does all sorts of cakes from butter cakes to cheesecakes, and is also supposed to have come up with some interesting creations like tequila cakes and vodka cakes. I’m curious and am awaiting a list of her cakes from my brother, so that I can try out some of her other creations. I like her style of baking (and I’m not just saying this because she is known to my brother), and her prices are rather reasonable. I think her fruit cakes go for S$28 for a 6-8” cake, compared to easily $40+ to $50+ from shops.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in contacting her for her cake list or to place an order, please drop me a line, and I’ll pass you her contact number. Okay, yes, this is a mini 30-second plug... but we do like her fruit cake very much. And good things should be shared ; )

Whilst shopping at Cold Storage supermarket the other day, I picked up a box of Tartufo Italian Christmas cake (S$14.90). Each year, I’ve seen these Italian cakes on sale, but have never been tempted to try them, until now. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In fact, I have always associated “tartufo” with Italian gelato for some reason. The fine print on the box said “Italian leavened cake with gianduja hazelnut paste, coated with plain chocolate and decorated with chocolate curls”.

When I opened the box, this was what I found… it looked suspiciously like an extra, extra large muffin!

(Note my first – not very successful – attempt at mood lighting photography. Haha!)

The inside revealed nice, slightly gooey chocolate cream filling, with the lightest hint of the liquor. The texture of the cake had looked rather coarse and dry , but it tasted tender and fairly moist. I actually feel it is more inclined towards being a rich, sweet bread rather than a cake.

I wonder… is this a traditional Italian Christmas cake? Or is this a modern invention? I’m really curious about the story and tradition behind these sorts of Italian Christmas cakes… I’m presuming it is fairly authentic as it is made in and imported from Italy. Anyone knows? I’m always fascinated by the different foods eaten in different cultures to celebrate the same festivity.

I’m also really curious how this cake/bread can keep for so long. It came non-vacuum sealed in a paper box and the expiry date on the box said May 2004!

It was nice though. I liked it. I would like to try some of the other varieties next year. I think there must have been at least 5-6 varieties, with different cream fillings or toppings, that I saw on display the other day.

The cake also came with a complimentary cute little mini Panettone – Italian leavened cake with raisins and candied orange peel.

I would guess this is the original Italian Christmas sweet loaf? And the counterpart to the German-originated Stollen. I’m more familiar with this German version of a sweet, rich, brioche-like, fruity, spicy bread/cake with a marzipan center. The tradition of eating Stollen at Christmas apparently arose from the ancient practice of the local bakers’ guild of the city of Dresden’s to present to the Bishop of Narumburg two long white breads, called “Stollen”, on Christ’s birthday and on Michaelmas. I think the characteristic oblong shape of the Stollen with a folded ridge down the center is supposed to represent the Christ Child in swaddling clothes.

The Italian Panettone is quite differently shaped. Is there a significance to this? What’s the tradition behind the Panettone? Strangely, I don’t think the English have a tradition of eating sweet breads at Christmas. I only remember and know of plum puddings with brandy sauce, rich fruit cakes and of course, my favorite, mince pies. One is supposed to eat one mince pie a day on each of the 12 days of Christmas (from 25 December through to 5 January, before the epiphany on the 6th), to ensure one has good luck in each of the coming 12 months of the new year. Interesting, huh?

Ah… fruit cake, Panettone and mince pies… it really is beginning to taste a lot like Christmas!

Copyright © 2003 Renee Kho. All rights reserved.
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