Christmas Cake in the Oven

Christmas cake in the oven now. And breathe.

Last day of October – that should be enough time to mature I hope. This is a tradition I didn’t grow up with but have adopted and though fruitcake is not my favourite edible over Christmas, there is something about the making of it that I love.

I think it’s because most things, including baking, are done in a hurry these days, and there is no hurrying the Christmas cake. First there is the boiling of the fruit with the liquor. Then as it cools, there is the rather tricky business of lining the pan inside and out. Normally I would be fed up doing something like that, but with the Christmas cake there is something rather pleasing about taking the time to do it right. 

Then it has to bake for hours, and finally, for nearly two months it will be regularly fed with whisky or brandy or something. Finally, just before Christmas, there will be the fun of marzipan and icing and decorating.

Maybe as we approach advent, it just reminds me that this year I don’t want to get caught up in the rush and tumble but instead, I want to be meditative and filled with the peace that passes all understanding, given to us by our Prince of Peace. Whose birthday cake it is, after all.