SHOPYTHON
December is one of the busiest months of the year for Malaysian bakers. Log cakes, fruitcakes, cookie jars and panettone fill hampers and office parties, and many home bakers take more orders in three weeks than in the rest of the quarter. This guide covers the most popular Christmas bakes, the equipment that helps you make them in volume, and gift ideas if you are shopping for a baker.
The Christmas bakes people order most
Log cake (Bûche de Noël)
A rolled sponge filled and covered with chocolate cream or ganache, decorated as a log. It is the best seller for many Malaysian home bakers. The key is a thin, even, flexible sponge that rolls without cracking.
- Mixer: sponge depends on well-whipped eggs. A stand mixer with a good whisk does this best, such as the Kitmens KM-B7 (7 L, RM2,499) or Innofood KT-7600 (7 L, RM1,899). For café volumes, the SPAR SP-800 planetary mixer (RM3,200).
- Oven: even heat across a flat sheet. A convection oven bakes several sheets at once.
- Finishing: for round Christmas cakes, the Golden Chef DM-1 cake decorating machine (RM1,299) spreads and smooths cream evenly, which saves a lot of time on large orders.
Fruitcake and Christmas cake
Dense, rich and baked low and slow, often weeks ahead and fed with brandy or juice. Heavy batter with lots of fruit is hard work for small mixers.
- Mixer: use the flat beater on a stand mixer; for big batches, a 10 L planetary mixer such as the Orimas B10N (RM1,349).
- Oven: long bakes at low temperature need steady heat. A deck oven, or a convection oven with the fan on low, works well.
- Tins: deep tins such as our aluminium square cake moulds, 3 inches deep in sizes from 4 to 15 inches.
Stollen
The German Christmas bread: a rich yeasted dough with butter, dried fruit, citrus peel and often a marzipan centre, finished with melted butter and icing sugar. Like panettone, it is a heavy, enriched dough, so it needs a mixer with real kneading strength.
- Mixer: a spiral mixer for batches above about 2 kg, such as the The Baker SMES-10 (10 L, RM2,190). See our guide to the best mixer for 5 kg of dough.
- Proofing: rich doughs rise slowly, and a proofer keeps timing predictable.
Panettone
The tall Italian Christmas bread is now one of the most wanted hamper items, and one of the hardest to make in our climate. We wrote a full guide: making panettone in Malaysia.
Christmas cookies
Gingerbread, butter cookies, shortbread, snowball cookies and cookie jars for open houses. Cookies are all about volume: many trays, evenly baked.
- Oven: a convection oven that bakes 4–8 trays at once, such as the Innofood KT-BF1A (8 trays included, RM1,599) or Soner SCO-1A (4 trays, RM2,800).
- Shaping: the Falcon Pasta & Cookies Maker (RM1,099) kneads and extrudes dough through 22 moulds, the same machine many bakers use for raya cookies like semperit.
- Cooling: a rack trolley such as the Soner SCR-15 (15 trays, RM750) keeps trays moving.
Roast and party food
Roast chicken, turkey, lamb and big trays of potatoes for Christmas lunch. A combi oven with steam keeps roasts juicy; for cafés and caterers, see our UNOX combi ovens. For a home party, an Ooni pizza oven makes the night.
If you take Christmas orders: plan your capacity
- Count your bottleneck. Usually it is the oven (trays per hour) or, for log cakes, the time to fill, roll and decorate. Price and cap orders around it.
- Bake ahead where you can. Fruitcakes improve over weeks; cookies keep in airtight jars; sponge sheets can be frozen.
- Fix collection dates. Spread orders across the week before Christmas instead of everyone on the 24th.
- Order equipment early. Machines take time to deliver and set up, and some brands sell out in December. WhatsApp us to confirm stock and delivery dates before you take orders.
Gift ideas for bakers
Under RM200
- KitchenAid set of 4 prep bowls with lids, RM89, in Empire Red.
- KitchenAid ravioli maker attachment, RM199, for anyone who already owns a KitchenAid.
RM1,000 to RM2,000
- Kitmens KM-B5 stand mixer (5.2 L), from RM1,095, in Burgundy Red, Royal Grey or Sky Blue.
- Kitmens KM-CO50 convection oven (50 L), RM1,050.
- Falcon Pasta & Cookies Maker, RM1,099.
- Innofood KT-7600 stand mixer (7 L, ice bowl), RM1,899.
- Mockmill 100 stone grain mill, RM1,899, for the baker who wants to mill fresh flour.
The big gift
- Ooni Halo Pro spiral mixer (7 L), RM3,599, for pizza and bread lovers.
- Breville Barista Express, RM3,829: espresso with a built-in grinder, for Christmas morning coffee.
- Ooni Volt 2 electric pizza oven, RM4,599, works indoors.
- Ooni Koda 2 Max gas pizza oven, RM5,999, for 20-inch pizzas at a garden party.
Buying for yourself? SHOPYTHON Pro members get an extra 3% off every item on our website, for life, for a one-time RM68.
Frequently asked questions
Which mixer is best for log cake sponge?
A planetary stand mixer with a balloon whisk. Whipping eggs to a thick ribbon is what makes the sponge light and flexible enough to roll. A spiral mixer cannot whisk.
Can one oven do cookies, cakes and bread for Christmas orders?
A convection oven with steam comes closest: it bakes many trays of cookies and cakes, and the steam helps bread. Our guide to deck or convection ovens for a home bakery explains the trade-offs.
Will my order arrive before Christmas?
Stock and delivery times depend on the item and where you are. WhatsApp us with the product and your postcode, and we will confirm before you order.
Merry Christmas, and happy baking
Tell us what you are planning to bake this Christmas and how many orders you expect, and we will help you choose. WhatsApp us on 017-805 6033.