Stir-Up Sunday Recipes
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Stir-Up Sunday is a delicious Christmas tradition beginning 5 weeks before Christmas. It involves cakes and families, and long-held Christmas traditions.
What does one stir up on Stir-Up Sunday? The most delicious Christmas cake one can find. The stirring is not only for the ingredients, but for the heart as well.
Stir-Up Sunday prepares the stirring of hearts in preparation for Christmas.
As we enter the Christmas Advent season, celebrating with these Christmas recipes is the perfect way to honor the tradition.
What is Stir-Up Sunday?
It is a tradition that dates back to Victorian times when families would gather, five weeks before Christmas, to stir the Christmas pudding. Opening words from the Book Of Common Prayer, used on the last Sunday before Advent, reads: “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people.”
The tradition says that all family members and guests must participate in giving the cake a “good stir.” This activity of stirring-up the ingredients symbolizes that our hearts must be stirred in preparation for Christ’s birth.
Plum puddings are classic for a Stir-Up Sunday, perhaps due to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Other popular stir-up cakes include puddings, fruitcakes, spice cakes… or any cake appropriate for the season.
What will you make for stir-up Sunday? Although tradition dictates a Christmas or Figgy Pudding, any cake will do! Keep reading for delicious, Christmas cake and pudding recipes below. And start… stirring!
Stir-Up Sunday Traditions
Good Housekeeping details Stir-Up Sunday traditions and symbolisms.
- Christmas pudding would traditionally contain 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.
- It is traditionally stirred (while making a wish) by each member of the family from East to West, to remember the Wise Men that visited Jesus in the Nativity Story.
- The customary garnish of holly represented the crown of thorns. Be warned: the holly berry is very toxic, so instead adorn your Christmas pud with fake foliage!
More Christmas Recipes
- Christmas Candy to Make Ahead
- Worldwide Christmas Cookies
- Vintage Christmas Cookies to Make Ahead
- Christmas Dinner Recipes: Simple and Festive
- Hosting a Christmas Afternoon Tea
13 Stir-Up Sunday Recipes
Steamed Christmas Figgy Pudding
Figgy Pudding-- the name itself conjures visions of Christmas and sugarplums and family... and tradition. A moist and tender Christmas pudding, redolent with the spices of Christmas, figs, and oranges.
Easy Christmas pudding recipe
A classic light, spiced Christmas pudding - so simple you don't even need any kitchen scales.
Gingerbread Cake
Celebrate the holidays with a simple, easy gingerbread cake, moist and delicious with molasses and ground spices of the season. A cozy holiday cake!
Christmas pudding with citrus & spice recipe
A fruity pud, served with orange custard cream, makes the perfect end to the traditional Christmas meal
Christmas Cake Recipe
Karen Burns-Booth’s Christmas cake recipe is a true classic, and sublimely easy to make. Don’t forget to feed the cake with brandy every week before Christmas to ensure a rich and luxurious finish.
Suet-free Christmas pudding
"This suet-free Christmas pudding recipe provides a light finish to your Christmas lunch. No animal fat makes this a vegetarian-friendly option, too."
Mini Dundee cakes
"These light, crumbly mini Dundee cakes with burnished hazelnut marzipan crown give the classic Christmas cake a makeover. A lighter, less rich, but equally festive alternative to the hefty traditional Christmas cake, these little beauties also make great gifts."
Classic Christmas Pudding Recipe
Decadent, tender and perfectly spiced, this is a classic pudding recipes that's always a favorite.
Apple and Calvados Christmas Pudding
"A fruity twist on the classic Christmas pud. Serve with cream or boozy custard, if you like."
Quick Christmas pudding
"This quick Christmas pudding recipe takes minutes to make in a microwave, yes really!"
Pear and ginger Christmas pudding
"With its golden crown of succulent pears, this juicy Christmas pudding recipe is sure to finish the feast on a high note."
