What better way to ring in the holiday season than to bake our favorite Christmas cakes at home. Cake designs and flavors can drive us nuts. From the famous rainbow cake to fondant cake and now the ice-cream cake as well, choosing our favorite indulgence can be a challenge. But sometimes a homemade cake with a simple recipe paired with a cappuccino, hot chocolate or a chai is all we need to warm our hearts. These traditional simple Christmas cake recipes are sure to bring nostalgia!
Let’s dig into a few such simple cakes we can try at home!
Chocolate Cake
It’s safe to say that a classic chocolate cake is always going our first pick for any holiday.
Ingredients:
Granulate Sugar: 2 cups
All purpose flour: 1 ¾ cups
Cocoa Powder- ¾ cup
Baking powder- 1 ½ tsp
Baking Soda- 1 ½ tsp
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Salt- ½ tsp
Eggs- 2
Warm coffee- 1 cup
Milk- 1 cup
Vegetable Oil- 1/2 cup
Pure vanilla extract- 1 ½ tsp
Walnuts (lightly toasted)- ½ cup
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree and line the cake tin with butter paper, grease with flour and oil. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients i.e. eggs, oil, coffee, milk and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk to get a smooth consistency. Add the walnuts to the batter to add a nutty and smoky tinge. Pour the batter in the tin and bake for 25-30 mins. Your chocolate walnut cake is ready! Serve with hot chocolate sauce and ice-cream for the best experience.
Plum Cake
It wouldn’t really be Christmas without a plum cake. The tart of berries and raisins soaked in a smoky rum just smells like the holidays are around. Try out this simple plum cake and indulge with a warm cup of hot chocolate.
Ingredients:
For the soak (dried berries)-
Cranberries- ½ cup
Raisins– ½ cup
Blueberries- ½ cup
Black Currants- 1 tbsp
Dates (chopped)- 1 tbsp
Black Rum- 1 cup
Orange juice- 1 cup
Soak the berries in the rum and juice for at least 7 days in a glass jar.
For the batter-
All purpose flour- 2 cups
Ground almonds (Ambrosia Almond Flour)- 1 cup
Powdered sugar- 1 cup
Butter- 1 cup
Eggs- 3
Orange zest (outer skin)- 1 orange
Mixed nuts (cashews, walnuts, pistachios, raisins)- 1 cup
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder- a pinch
Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl. Combine the eggs in the bowl and continue beating. Now, add ¾ of the soaked berries and the liquid and mix well. Coat the chopped nuts in flour and add to the bowl. To this add the sieved flour, almond powder, baking powder and nutmeg powder. Fold the batter gently till it has a thick consistency. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees and line a baking tin. Pour the batter and bake for 80-90 mins at 180 degree. Let it cool and dig in!
Red Velvet Cake
We think of red and white and we think of Christmas. This combination definitely also reminds us of a new favorite Red Velvet Cake. Bake with Ambrosia this simple eggless red velvet cake.
Ingredients:
All purpose flour-1 ¼ cup
Cornstarch- ¼ cup
Cocoa powder- 1 ½ tbsp
Salt- ¼ tsp
Baking Soda- 1 tsp
Sugar- 1 cup
Vegetable Oil- ½ cup
Butter Milk- 1 cup
Lemon Juice- 2 tsp
Vanilla Essence- 1 tsp
Red food color- 1-2 tbsp
For frosting:
Cream Cheese- 1 ¼ cup
Unsalted butter- ½ cup
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Sugar- 2 cups
Pre-heat oven to 180 degree and grease 2 baking tins with butter and flour. Sieve all dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients together and add the food color to it. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and fold until no lumps can be seen. Divide the batter and pour in the tins and bake for 25-30 mins. Once done, whip all the cream cheese and butter together. Stir in the sugar and vanilla and fold to get a frosting consistency. Assemble the cake by adding the frosting between the two layers of sponge. Top the cake with a generous layer of frosting and enjoy this Christmas themed eggless cake!
Vanilla Cake
Call it a tea cake or a Christmas cake, a simple vanilla cake is undoubtedly enjoyed by all, irrespective of age or season. Add just a little white frosting and make this snowy cake for Christmas celebrations.
For the cake:
All purpose flour-3 cups
Salt- 1 tsp
Baking Powder- 2 tsp
Baking Soda- 1/2 tsp
Granulated Sugar- 1 ½ cup
Vegetable Oil- 1 cup
Vanilla Essence- 1 tbsp
Yoghurt- 1 cup ‘
Milk- 1 ½ cups
White Vinegar- 2 tsp
For the frosting:
Butter- 1 cup (softened)
Icing sugar- 2
Heavy cream- ¼ cup
Vanilla Extract- 1 tsp
Salt- ¼ tsp
Pre-heat the oven and grease 2 baking tins. Sieve dry ingredients and set aside. Beat oil and sugar until combined in a bowl. To this, add the yogurt and vanilla extract and mix well until everything is combined, and the mixture is smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mix and fold. Mix until just combined. Pour the white vinegar into this mix. Make sure no lumps remain. Divide and pour the batter into two tins and bake for 28-30 mins. For the frosting, whip the butter on a medium speed, until creamy. Now add the sugar, cream, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on low speed until well combined. Mix until the frosting is until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale.
Using a large serrated knife, slice a thin layer off the tops of both cake layers to make a flat surface. Take one layer and cover it with the frosting evenly. Place the second layer and generously spread the frosting on top and the sides. Decorate this with green sprinkles and red cherries to enjoy the Christmas spirit.
Dig into a slice and sip a herbal tea long side to enjoy on a cold winter night!