Stir Up Sunday

Yesterday was Stir Up Sunday, traditional day for making the Christmas pudding &/or cake.

I didn't have enough eggs so I missed yesterday and I've been making and baking my Christmas cake today, following St Delia's recipe.

Reason it needs making now is that the cake tastes better when mature and it must be regularly fed while waiting till Christmas and I have located some VSOP Armagnac for that task.

The spicy smell of Christmas cake is permeating the whole house as I type.

[Jenise]

David N. (who posts here from time to time) was up to that this weekend as well. Didn't know that it was an official English (he's English) tradition to do this on a specific day, though. Very charming!

I don't think that there is any English tradition to make the Christmas cake on any particular day.
The key thing for our family is that the cake has to mature for at least 3 months - no additions of liquor, no other additions or manipulations.
Wrap the cake in cling wrap and aluminum foil and set it on a shelf somewhere for 3-6 months. The maturing time will be well rewarded!

[Jenise]

So you weren't making these for this Christmas. I misunderstood Nadine--she was waxing poetic in an email about the wonderful smells you were making in the house. You must have some left over from last year.

Confession: I've never made a fruitcake.

From Wikepedia

"Stir-up Sunday is an informal term in Anglican churches for the last Sunday before the season of Advent.

The term comes from the opening words of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549 and later (a translation of the Roman Missal's collect "Excita, quæsumus"):

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Through an association of ideas, the day subsequently became connected, especially in England, with the preparation of Christmas puddings in readiness for Christmas."

And its about the last day to make a Christmas cake and let it mature a little.

Jenise, this is the first time I have made a Christmas cake, J usually does but she seemed disinclined this year so when I saw that Waitrose supermarket were selling packs of measured out ingredients I jumped in.

I was surprised how easy and quickly a batter of eggs, flour & sugar (with spices) came together, then blended in the mixed dried fruits (marinaded in brandy), spooned mixture in cake tin and voila.

(well almost voila, set oven at low temp and went out to find that son had accidnetally turned off oven so I'm not sure how it has turned out.)

Peter, Hi....

I know this tradition, not from England but from the Anglican Church in Jaffa and like you, they celebrate this special day by having both men and women from the community come to the church, there to prepare the Christmas cakes, some for the congregation, others to be given as gifts to friends. I seem to be on the good side of things as we receive one of these cakes every year a day or two before Christmas. A lovely tradition, both of the pleasures of the baking and the joys of sharing.

Best
Rogov