It’s day three in the Christmas Spectacular series and have I got a treat for you!! Today I’m not only sharing a Holiday Gift Cake Recipe, but I’m also sharing a favorite Christmas tradition! My sweet friend Rachel coordinated this Christmas Traditions Blog Tour and I thought it was a fantastic way to share something yummy and some fond memories! If you’re stopping by from What Meegan Makes, WELCOME!! I’m tickled silly you’re here. Now let’s take a look at what I’m sharing today…
Holiday Gift Cakes made in Soup Cans!
Doesn’t that look delicious!! Frosting drizzled over the cake with chopped pecans aaaand a cherry on top! What makes this cake so special? Well, I remember my mom making these when I was too little to help — then I remember helping her make them each Christmas — and now I enjoy making them for holiday gifts! These holiday cakes have been a tradition in the making for years and we always make them in soup cans! I think that makes them a little more unique than your standard loaf. Don’t you agree?
We not only made these cakes for gifts, but we always kept a couple for us to indulge in as well. On Christmas morning, we always enjoyed a slice or two (amongst other cookies) while opening presents! I guess you could say it was a breakfast appetizer since we always ate breakfast between opening gifts and diving into our stockings. Since I don’t have children, some traditions aren’t quite the same, but they were fond traditions and memories of my childhood. And it’s a delicious memory at best! (Love you, Mom!)
Holiday Gift Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 pkg. 8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 2-1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 3/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries well drained
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp. milk
- 3-4 maraschino cherries halved
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325F.
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Grease approximately four to six 14-16 oz (empty, clean and dry) soup cans. Place 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp of flour in each can and throughly coat the inside. Set aside.
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Beat cream cheese, butter, granulated sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition; set aside.
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Sift 2 cups of the flour with the baking powder. Gradually add to cream cheese mixture, beating well after each addition.
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Toss remaining 1/4 cup flour with the cherries and 1/2 cup chopped pecans; gently stir into batter.
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Pour into prepared cans. Fill each can 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center(s) comes out clean.
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Cool 5-10 minutes. Loosen cakes from side of can with spatula or knife; gently remove cakes from cans. Cool completely on wire rack.
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Mix powdered sugar and milk and drizzle over each cake. Sprinkle 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans over cakes and top with 1/2 of maraschino cherry.
So, tell me, what is one of your favorite Christmas traditions?
Be sure to swing by Primitive and Proper to see what Cassie is sharing!
And find other great traditions here: Christmas Traditions Blog Tour
Here’s to spreading a little extra merry!
Don’t forget to see what the other ladies are up
to in the Christmas Spectacular series too!
Candy Cane Brownie Bark @ Shabby Creek Cottage
Vintage Style Snow Globe @ My Fabuless Life
DIY Brushstroke Ornaments @ Desert Domicile
Elf Hat Tree Topper @ Rain on a Tin Roof
Care to stay in the loop? I’d love to have you!
Catch me snapping + sharing pictures over on Instagram.
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These look delicious….and pretty! I’m not sure why I didn’t think of a recipe as a tradition. *forehead slap*
You are too funny Michelle! I hope you’ll give these a try…you will LOVE them! Have a great weekend. 🙂 xo.
that looks beautiful and delicious! a winning combo!
Thanks Cassie! Appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of your evening. xo.
These are so pretty. How do you cut them to serve? Thanks.
Hi Lida! Thanks so much. We lay the cake on it’s side and cut into slices. So, they’ll be round slices 🙂 Depending on how thick you cut them, will determine how many servings you’ll get. Cheers!
I’d want the top for myself with all that yummy icing! Thanks, I’m gonna try it.
The icing is yummy. I know that you will love these! Enjoy. HUGS!
I have to agree with Cassie, it really looks beautiful and delicious!
Appreciate it Chrissy! Appreciate you stopping by. Have a great weekend. xo.
Oh.my.goodness. KELLY! This looks delicious! What an awesome, fun gift for your friends & neighbors.
xo,
Kylie
Thanks Kylie! They are all kinds of great! Hope you’ll give the recipe a try. 🙂 HUGS.
Those look so good! These would be perfect gifts for friends and neighbors. Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thanks Rachel. They make WONDERFUL gifts for just about anyone. Hope you’ll give them a try. xo.
What a wonderful memory! The cake looks so delicious but I can’t get over how amazing your photography is! Wow!
You are too kind Caitlin. I appreciate your kind words. 🙂 Have a great weekend. xo.
Yum! Looks delicious and so pretty too!
Thanks Leslie! You so sweet. 🙂 Hope you’ll give them a try. Have a great weekend. xo.
These are so cute Kelly! They look all fancy, but sound so simple to make. Love ’em. And we’re getting our tree next week. I can’t wait to put your ornaments on it!
Thanks Julie! You need to make them…you will love them. Enjoy putting the ornaments on your tree. This time of year is wonderful! HUGS.
YUM! These look delicious and I love how out of the box they look coming out of soup cans! I’m definitely going to have to try these :).
Thanks Chaney! I’ve always loved making these in cans over a bread pan…it gives it that “old fashioned” feel. You’ll love them! Enjoy. xo.
Kelly,
I love that you remember watching your mom make them, helping her and now enjoy making them yourself. That is exactly what a special Christmas tradition should be all about. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
~Sarah
I couldn’t agree more Sarah! It’s definitely a wonderful Christmas tradition full of memories. 🙂 Have a great weekend. HUGS.
I looooove this idea! What a fun presentation for a cake!
Thanks Christine! Appreciate it. Hope you’ll give the recipe a try. You will love them! 🙂 xo.
I am so doing this!!! Looks darn good!!♥ Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. 🙂 Have fun making them. You will love them! xo.
It looks too pretty to eat! Gorgeous and looks deliicious!
Thanks Andrea. Hope you’ll give them a try! Have a great weekend. xo.
Ohhh cake looking so much good and delicious. I definitely try it in this weekend. Thanks For sharing.
Thanks Shelly! Appreciate you stopping by. Have a great weekend. HUGS.
Yum! This looks delicious! And why haven’t I ever thought to eat breakfast appetizers – I’ll have to get on that!
Thanks so much Carrie! I know…breakfast appetizers are a wonderful thing. 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your evening. xo.
Definitely a perfect holiday gift. I would LOVE to receive one of these delicious cakes!
Thanks Thalia! Appreciate you stopping by. 🙂 Enjoy your weekend. xo.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful cakes Kelly! I would love to know what size tin or tins you used for it!
Thank you for sharing and have a happy holiday season.
FABBY
Thanks so much! I appreciate it…and the Pin. 🙂 I used the regular sized soup cans (10 3/4 oz) and just a small bread pan. Happy holidays! xo.
I just pinned too!
FABBY
Kelly, these look absolutely AMAZING! Oh my goodness they look straight out of a magazine and I love that you started making them with your mom when you were a little girl. It looks like this is such a fun tradition filled with beautiful memories, and I also love that you give them away in soup cans, how creative! Thanks for sharing and happy holidays!
You are too kind Katie! 🙂 Thank you. I appreciate it. Hope you’ll give them a try. You will love them! HUGS!
My aunt made something super similar every year at Christmas! It wasn’t a holiday without eating one of these! Such a fun tour…loving everyone’s traditions!
Thanks so much Kristi! I appreciate it. Traditions are a wonderful thing. Have a great weekend. HUGS.
Well these look and I bet taste divine! Wowza! What I fantastic idea!
Thanks so much Brie! Appreciate it. 🙂 xo.
I have never heard of baking in a tin can. I love how rustic chic and practical it is. Your cakes are beautiful! I plan to make these this week.
Thanks so much Tammi! Appreciate it. These bake wonderful in the tin cans and are the perfect size too! 🙂 Happy Holidays. HUGS.
Baking in cans is so much fun! And OM GOSH- these cakes look irresistible! Featuring at this week’s Wednesday Whatsits!
Thanks so much Rachel! I appreciate it. Happy Holidays. xo.
Hi! I’m featuring this post as one of my favorites on our Wednesday Whatsit Link Party this week. It will go live tonight at 8pm PST. Thanks for submitting such great content. Keep it coming!!! Krissy
Thanks so much Krissy! I really appreciate it. 🙂 Happy Holidays. xo.
I made this cake in individual ceramic baking dishes for my family gift exchange. I followed the cake recipe as is, but instead of the glaze I used traditional frosting because I made gelatin snow globes for the top. The cake was wonderful, even better the next day after the flavors had a chance to meld. Next time I will try the glaze. Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Bonny!! Thanks so much for sharing what you did. I agree (and we say it every year), the cake is even better the next day. Happy New Year. Hugs!
My mother has this same recipe. We use to make this each year for Christmas. The original recipe was published a while back in the TV Guide. My mother still has the original page, now yellowed and starting to fade, held together with tape. I wanted to make this as a gift to her this year and was unable to read some of it. I’m so glad I came across this. You have saved me. We make ours in a fluted pan. Thank You!