Starting a Natural Christmas Baking Tradition (Even If You Don't Bake)

My favourite Christmas memory isn't a present. It's standing on a kitchen chair next to my mum, with more flour on me than in the bowl, being trusted with the sprinkles.

I bet you've got one like it. And somewhere along the way, most of us decided we wanted to give our own kids that same feeling.

The bit nobody mentions is that Christmas baking comes in very bright colours. Those reds and greens get their colour from somewhere, and it isn't usually plants. That's exactly why every Bake Believe kit is 100% natural, with plant-based colouring and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. So you can have the memory without the ingredient list.

If you're someone who reads labels, Christmas can feel like the one time of year you're expected to look the other way.

Lollies, candy canes, supermarket gingerbread with icing in shades that don't exist in nature. It's everywhere, and it's mostly fine as a treat. But when you're the one doing the baking, it feels a bit odd to choose the natural yoghurt all year and then reach for a bottle of red dye in December. 

Then there's the time. Between end of year concerts, teacher gifts, work wind-ups and the endless Christmas parties, a from-scratch gingerbread project can feel a bit ambitious. Lovely in theory. Chaotic in practice. (Very sticky, too.)

This is where our Christmas kits come in.

Every kit is made with natural cake or cookie mix, pure icing sugar and plant-based food colouring. Gluten-free options are available across the range, and you can use your own allergy-friendly swaps for the eggs, milk and butter, so nobody has to sit out the Christmas bake. 

This year we've got two new kits joining the Christmas range. The Mr & Mrs Claus Cake Kit is a proper Christmas-table showstopper, and our new green Grinch inspired cupcakes are for every cheeky little grump in your house.  

They sit alongside the classics. Gingerbread Friends comes with its own cutter and embosser, so every little gingerbread person actually looks like one. The Mini Gingerbread Houses kit makes four small houses, which means four kids get one each and nobody argues about whose turn it is with the roof.

A quick note on edible images: some of our Christmas cake and cupcake kits come with them. Peel the edible images off before serving to keep it 100% natural, or let the kids have them as a Christmas novelty. Totally up to you.

You don't need to be a baker for any of this. Truly. 

Everything comes in the box, from the mixes and colours to the disposable pans and piping bags. The instructions are written for people who've never piped icing in their life, with step-by-step pictures so you're never guessing. You add the fridge ingredients and the enthusiasm. 

There's even a pair of Christmas chef's hats for the kids to colour in while the oven does its thing. Which, if you've ever tried to keep a five-year-old away from a hot oven door, is genuinely the most useful thing in the box.

And you can get ahead. Kits keep for 3 to 6 months, so ordering early is completely safe. Cakes can be baked and frozen up to 4 weeks ahead, then iced and decorated on the day. Gingerbread is best baked in the week before you want to eat it (if it lasts that long).

A few things that help a bake turn into an actual tradition, from families who've done it:

Pick a day and stick to it. The first Saturday of the school holidays, or the Sunday before Christmas. Kids love knowing it's coming, and it gives everyone something to look forward to in the busiest month of the year. 

Give everyone a job. Little ones are brilliant at sprinkles and pressing the cutter. Bigger kids can take charge of the piping, while you look after the oven and the photos.

Keep something from it. The cookie cutters in our gingerbread kits are reusable, so they can come out every December. Write the year on the box, or keep the coloured-in chef's hats in a drawer. In a few years you'll have a little collection, and the kids will remember making every one of them. 

And let it be imperfect. A lopsided gingerbread roof is part of the charm. Nobody ever looked back fondly on a Christmas where everything was perfectly piped.

We'll let a couple of our Christmas families take it from here. 

"Such a fun and easy kit to make, my 4yo and 6yo loved it. Even my husband, who can be impatient with them during these things, joined in!" Carrie

"Not a baker but this was so well planned that it made it easy. Also it was delicious and everyone was impressed at Christmas!" Rebecca

That last line is the whole point really. The kids are proud, the grown-ups are impressed, and you know exactly what went into it.

If this is the year you want to start your own Christmas baking tradition, our Christmas range is ready when you are. 

Browse it at bakebelieve.com.au/collections/christmas and order before 11am for same-day express dispatch. Last kits go out Friday 18 December, but we'd recommend ordering at least 2 weeks before you want to bake.

First order with us? Use FIRST10 for 10% off.

Magic is Bake Believing ✨

The Bake Believe Team