Find out the year-end cakes of each country

Jihyeon Kim, Trainee reporter

With snow falling and Christmas carols filling the air, the unmistakable signal of the year's end is upon us. This realization is brought about not only by the music or the weather but by the atmosphere surrounding us, right down to the fashion accessories. Yet, the most classic year-end item must be the "cake." We are all familiar with the sight of bakeries—from local shops to franchises and bespoke cake makers—being completely booked with reservations as the year draws to a close. This tradition is not confined to Korea. The entire world, from nearby Japan to the distant West, the very birthplace of cake, engages in this common ritual during this time. However, the cakes enjoyed vary significantly from country to country. Despite sharing the title of "year-end cake," their flavors, forms, and origins are entirely distinct. Let's delve into what these international year-end cakes are.

        First, in France, we find the Bûche de Noël, which is also quite well-known in Korea. This cake is France's traditional Christmas cake, its name being a composite of the French words Bûche ('log') and Noël ('Christmas'). While its exact history is uncertain, the most compelling theory traces its origins back to the ancient Celts. Specifically, it is linked to the tradition of burning a Yule Log during the winter solstice (the Yule period), where the fire was believed to drive away evil spirits and its ashes were spread for fertility and protection. The Bûche de Noël is a cake that emulates this Yule Log tradition. This connection highlights how deeply intertwined the Bûche de Noël is with the year-end, particularly Christmas. Though the French confectionery “Charabout” first sold it in 1879, its widespread popularity before World War I attests to its quick integration into French holiday customs. While early versions contained only chocolate cream, modern cakes now utilize pastry cream or simple whipped cream.

        Panettone originated in Milan but is now a holiday cake consumed across most of Italy, typically shared among family or partners between Christmas and the New Year. It is distinguished by the inclusion of raisins and candied fruit, but crucially, it is made through a long fermentation process using a natural sourdough starter, the panettone madre. The taste is heavily dependent on this starter, which is legally restricted from being exported by the Italian government, making the authentic flavor difficult to find abroad. This makes Panettone a strong symbol of Milanese pride. A romantic 15th-century legend adds to its mystique: a nobleman disguised himself as a baker to create the first Panettone, winning the heart of a baker's daughter. Historically, its roots are thought to lie in the Ancient Roman custom of enriching bread with honey, signifying it as a luxury food item.

        Our final focus is Germany's Stollen, which is directly associated with Christmas, or more accurately, with Jesus. Although its process is similar to bread making, its ingredients and its evolution—such as the addition of butter—have led to its classification as a cake in both Western and Korean contexts, sometimes sparking debates over its identity. Stollen originated at the Dresdner Striezelmarkt in 1329. Alongside Lebkuchen (gingerbread), it is one of the most popular Christmas breads, made about a month ahead and eaten in thin slices throughout the Advent season. Its signature shape—a long oval dusted thickly with powdered sugar—is a deliberate symbol of the Infant Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes in his manger. This rich cake, filled with rum-soaked fruits, represents a move away from simple Christian food toward a highly nutritious and celebrated holiday indulgence.

        Beyond these three, the variety of year-end cakes is vast, encompassing everything from Italy's star-shaped Pandoro to the UK's Christmas Pudding. Yet, despite their differences, a single purpose unites them all: to successfully usher out the cold end of year, celebrate the coming of a new year, and wish for prosperity and good fortune.