For Liz Brown, Christmas cake is more than just a holiday dessert; it symbolizes a cherished family tradition that has been handed down from mother to daughter for four generations. As we explore this annual ritual, Liz shares the happy memories and the profound bond it represents with her mother, Jane Spencer.
Jane, now 71, reminisces about baking Christmas cake with her own mother. “My grandma and my mum always used to bake their Christmas cake together, and then my mum would bake with me when I was a girl,” she recalls. Today, Jane continues this tradition with Liz. “The day we bake the cake feels like a watershed moment for us,” Jane explains. “The smell of a fruit cake warms the whole house and marks that transition from autumn to winter.”
Traditionally, “stir-up Sunday” occurs five weeks before Christmas, when family members gather to stir the pudding mixture—a practice dating back centuries. “Each person takes a turn, stirring from east to west, as a nod to the journey of the wise men,” Jane says.
To adapt to modern life, Jane and Liz now bake their cake during the autumn half-term. With Liz busy raising her three children—Lydia, William, and Theo—scheduling this tradition can be a challenge. “My husband thinks I’m borderline insane for waiting all day for everyone to come home to participate,” Liz laughs. “Some years, the cake doesn’t even go in the oven until 10 at night, and it takes four or five hours to bake. It mirrors my childhood when Mum and I would stay up until the early hours waiting for it to be ready, while Dad stirred and then went to bed.”
As each generation adds their own touch to the recipe, Jane shares how she made her own changes. “When I had my own home, I decided to do things my way,” she explains. “I started using a Christmas cake recipe from a Marks & Spencer cookbook in 1972. My Nana, who was born in 1896 and was a WWII mechanic, only used a teaspoon of rum, while my mother, who wasn’t a proficient baker, encouraged me to create my own version.”
Liz has continued this evolution by increasing the rum in the cake, explaining, “After we bake it, it sits quietly in a cupboard, and I give it a little dribble of rum twice a week. By the third or fourth feeding, I get excited about it.”
Additionally, Liz has taken the lead on decoration, crafting increasingly elaborate designs. She reflects, “While Mum focuses on the cake itself, I enjoy making it visually special. Last year, I created an entire Alpine village from icing.” Yet, despite their differences, the duo has such a close bond that they often complete each other’s sentences. “When Mum is gone, I’ll probably have to decorate our Christmas cake with all her ornaments every year,” Liz begins, and Jane adds, “And that’ll be my legacy.”
The significance of this Christmas baking ritual hit home for Liz when she became a mother. “When my second child, William, was due on Christmas Eve, I went into labor on December 23,” she shares. “My first thought was, ‘But I haven’t finished the Christmas cake!’ As we waited for the midwife, I iced and decorated it. When she walked in, her first words were, ‘What the hell are you doing?’—because I was making fondant penguins while mid-contraction.”
Liz continues to appreciate how her traditions foster connections with her children. “William wants to be a chef, and I can’t get him out of the kitchen, so I don’t think our tradition will die anytime soon,” she says.
Christmas, like many holidays around the world, serves to unite families year after year, but for Jane and Liz, the act of baking together is what truly solidifies their bond and connects them to their ancestors. “All our traditions revolve around cake,” Liz emphasizes. “When you bake, you put your love into it.”
