
Hogmanay celebrations are bigger than Christmas in Scotland. It is also known as Cake Day, and baking cakes for children is an old tradition.
The tradition of the First Footer is important to the luck of the household. The first person to cross the threshold is the “first footer”, and they foretell the year to come. The tradition varies, but generally if the first footer is a tall and dark man, the year will be a good one. Red heads and women portend back luck. The first footer should also bring a gift, and whiskey guarantees a welcome in Scotland!
Housewives in Scotland baked a Hogmanay cake for each child, nipped around the edge and filled with caraway. They took care not to break it for that foretold of the child’s illness or death within the coming year. This traditional Hogmanay Seed Cake has been adapted to use gluten free flour, and the addition of whiskey makes it more of a welcoming adult treat! It is a very soft and moist cake (as opposed to the ones described that can be nipped around the edge and possibly broken).
Hogmanay Seed Cake

Preheat oven to 350. Use an ungreased loaf or cake pan, or make into muffins.
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup natural sugar
3 eggs
¾ cup Gluten Free Cake Flour or *Quick Bread Flour (recipe for my blend is below)
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. sliced almonds
1 ½ tbsp. caraway seeds
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp whiskey, plus 1 tsp. for icing
Juice of ½ lemon
3 oz powdered sugar
Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs. Sift the flour, baking powder and baking salt together. Add the almonds, lemon zest and caraway seeds. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. Pour into a lined cake or loaf pan or into muffin cups. I find silicon muffin cups are fantastic for gluten free baking!
Bake at 350 for 40 – 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Poke holes all over the surface of the cake with a skewer. Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and whiskey together and pour over the cake, allowing it to soak in.

*Chef Christy’s Gluten Free Quick Bread Flour Blend
50% tapioca, 30% white rice, 20% untoasted buckwheat flour
In many places pipers announce the Hogmanay beggars (local men and boys dressed in rags with blackened faces), who sang carols such as:
“God Bless the Master of this house and Mistress also,
Likewise the little bairnies That round the table go.
May your purse be full of money, Your cellars full of beer,
We wish you many a Hogmanay, and many a New Year.”
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup natural sugar
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup Gluten Free Cake Flour or *Quick Bread Flour (recipe for my blend is below)
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. sliced almonds
- 1 ½ tbsp. caraway seeds
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp whiskey, plus 1 tsp. for icing
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 3 oz powdered sugar
- Preheat oven to 350. Use an ungreased loaf or cake pan, or make into muffins.
- Poke holes in the cake to absorb the lemon and whiskey glaze[/caption]
- Cream together the butter, sugar and eggs.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and baking salt together.
- Add the almonds, lemon zest and caraway seeds.
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir until combined.
- Pour into a lined cake or loaf pan or into muffin cups. I find silicon muffin cups are fantastic for gluten free baking!
- Bake at 350 for 40 – 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Poke holes all over the surface of the cake with a skewer.
- Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and whiskey together and pour over the cake, allowing it to soak in.