Welcome to Pōhutukawa Pantry
Step into the warmth of Pōhutukawa Pantry, our charming artisan bakery nestled right here in the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand.
We believe the holiday season is all about creating beautiful memories with loved ones, and there is no better way to gather people together than with our beautifully handcrafted, traditional treats.
Whether you are hosting a festive family gathering, searching for the perfect heartfelt gift, or simply treating yourself to a quiet moment of indulgence.
Our Christmas Goodies are baked with love and a touch of festive magic.
A much loved family recipe, the Pōhutukawa Christmas Cake is bursting with fruit. Carefully selected sun dried apricots, raisins, sultanas, cherries and tangy citrus, are soaked in Kaiapoi Distillery’s exceptional quality crafted brandy, warmed by the Canterbury sun and turned regularly over three days making the fruit plump and juicy while developing the flavours and heavenly aromas.
Fresh free range local eggs and locally sourced flour mixed with the finest festive spices help to bind the mixture. The cake is topped with nuts, cherries and ginger and once baked, is brushed with brandy and glazed with homemade apricot jam.
Slow maturing process. Our cakes receive very personalised attention over the twelve to twenty weeks before the cake reaches your Christmas table! During this time the cakes are brushed with brandy three times and twice lavishly covered in homemade apricot jam blended with warm brandy with a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
150 mm Diameter
1 Kg
12 Servings
Our most popular delight
Welcome a cherished family tradition to your holiday table. Our much-loved 2kg Christmas Cake is a true labour of love, crafted to bring joy and comfort to your festive gatherings. Bursting with premium fruit and rich, nostalgic flavours, it is the perfect centrepiece for sharing with those who matter most.
Crafted with Care and Goodness
We believe the best holiday memories are made with the very best ingredients:
• A Bountiful Harvest: We carefully select the finest sun-dried apricots, sweet raisins, plump sultanas, cherries, and tangy citrus.
• A Spirited Soak: The fruit is bathed in exceptional, handcrafted brandy from the Kaiapoi Distillery. Warmed by the gentle Canterbury sun, the fruit is turned regularly over three days until it becomes perfectly plump, juicy, and wonderfully aromatic.
The Art of Slow Maturation
Great things take time. To ensure the flavours are deep, rich, and unforgettable, each cake receives highly personalised attention for 12 to 20 weeks before it ever reaches your home.
• Beautifully Adorned: Each cake is crowned with a festive, hand-placed blend of wholesome nuts, sweet cherries, and ginger.
• Infused with Brandy: During its slow maturation, the cake is gently brushed with premium brandy three separate times to lock in moisture and flavour.
• A Lavish Glaze: To finish, we generously coat the cake—not once, but twice—in our homemade apricot jam, beautifully blended with warm brandy and a bright touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
From our pantry to your home, we hope this cake brings a touch of sweetness, a heavenly aroma, and a lot of love to your holiday celebrations this year.
200 mm Diameter
2 Kg
22 Servings
Our topless cake serves a number of purposes, so we have discovered over the years.
Did you know that it’s a been a long tradition in the UK and no doubt through Europe where fruit cake is enjoyed with a good slice of cheese? They say the stronger the flavour the better, but my preference is the Barry’s Bay Havarti… rich, smooth & creamy.
Our topless cakes are ideal for those that have a nut allergy. When baking our topless cakes, we make every attempt to ensure that the bakery has been cleaned from top to bottom. However, I do need to mention that our bakery has been exposed to nuts such as pecans, almonds, walnuts.
And, some people just enjoy the taste of our Christmas cakes without the bells and whistles on top!
A much loved family recipe, the Pōhutukawa Pantry Medium Christmas Cake is bursting with fruit. Carefully selected sun dried apricots, raisins, sultanas, cherries and tangy citrus, are soaked in Kaiapoi Distillery’s exceptional quality crafted brandy, warmed by the Canterbury sun and turned regularly over three days making the fruit plump and juicy while developing the flavours and heavenly aromas.
Fresh free range local eggs and locally sourced flour mixed with the finest festive spices help to bind the mixture. Each cake is then individually wrapped and regularly brushed with brandy during the four month maturation process.
200 mm Diameter
2 Kg
22 Servings
A Beautiful Holiday Tradition to Share
The festive season is all about gathering your favourite people around the table. At a generous 4 kg, the Pōhutukawa Pantry Christmas Cake is the perfect, heartwarming centrepiece for sharing with a larger family and a house full of dear friends. It’s ready to help you host beautifully and effortlessly, creating sweet memories with the ones you cherish most.
Our Much-Loved Family Recipe
Rooted in tradition; this magnificent cake is absolutely bursting with fruit. We carefully select the finest sun-dried apricots, raisins, sultanas, cherries, and bright citrus, soaking them in exceptional craft brandy from the local Kaiapoi Distillery. Warmed by the gentle Canterbury sun, the fruit is gently turned over three days, becoming wonderfully plump and juicy while developing rich, complex flavours and heavenly holiday aromas.
A Slow, Loving Maturation Process
A truly great Christmas cake takes time, and we pour our hearts into every single one. Over the twelve to twenty weeks before the cake reaches your home, it receives highly personalized, devoted attention. During this slow maturation period, we lovingly brush the cake with brandy three separate times. We then lavishly coat it twice more with our homemade apricot jam—specially blended with warm brandy and a bright touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
The result is a rich, beautifully crafted labour of love, just waiting to be sliced, shared, and savoured at your holiday gatherings this Christmas.
230 mm X 230 mm
4.00 Kg
40 Servings
For those who cherish the timeless tradition of a beautifully iced Christmas cake, this one is crafted especially for you.
We begin with our generous 2.0kg Traditional Fruit Cake, giving it a light, sweet glaze of our homemade apricot jam. Next comes a flawless layer of rich almond icing, carefully draped in a blanket of soft white icing. To complete the centerpiece, we add our own delicate, handmade festive decorations to the top.
It is a careful, step-by-step process that we truly view as a labour of love. But knowing this cake will sit at the heart of your holiday table, ready to be sliced and shared with your dearest family and friends, makes every moment of preparation incredibly worthwhile.
200 mm Diameter
22 Servings
A Little Taste of Gluten-Free Christmas Magic
Straight from our family’s kitchen to your festive table, the Pōhutukawa Pantry Gluten-Free Mini Christmas Cake is a heartwarming recipe designed to ensure everyone can indulge in the magic of the holidays.
A Labour of Love
Quality is never rushed, and our careful aging process reflects our passion for baking. In the twelve to twenty weeks before these specialty cakes become part of your Christmas celebrations, we tend to each one personally, ensuring a wonderfully moist and perfect gluten-free crumb.
As soon as they are baked, we lovingly decorate them with a crown of premium bright cherries. Over the weeks that follow, they receive three generous brushes of brandy, finished with a double layer of our homemade apricot jam—sweetly mixed with warming brandy and a bright squeeze of lemon.
A Sweet and Meaningful Way to Show You Care
These lovely, bite-sized gluten-free cakes are an incredibly thoughtful and easy option for the busy holiday season. Packed with the same premium fruits and rich spices as our classic recipe, they deliver all the festive comfort you expect, completely free of gluten. They are the perfect little treat to brighten the day of:
Neighbours and dear friends
Teachers and caretakers
Workmates and clients
Or simply tucked into a beautifully festive gift basket!
370 Gram
4 Servings
A much loved family recipe, the Pōhutukawa Pantry 1 Kg Gluten Free Christmas Cake is bursting with fruit. Carefully selected sun dried apricots, raisins, sultanas, cherries and tangy citrus, are soaked in Kaiapoi Distillery’s exceptional quality crafted brandy, warmed by the Canterbury sun and turned regularly over three days making the fruit plump and juicy while developing the flavours and heavenly aromas.
Fresh free range local eggs and Rice flour mixed with the finest festive spices help to bind the mixture. The cake is topped with nuts, cherries and ginger and once baked, is brushed with brandy and glazed with homemade Southland apricot jam.
Slow maturing process. Our cakes receive very personalised attention over the twelve to twenty weeks before the cake reaches your Christmas table! During this time the cakes are brushed with brandy three times and twice lavishly covered in Southland homemade apricot jam (Organic grown Apricots) blended with warm brandy with a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Certified Gluten Free
150 mm Diameter
1 Kg
12 Servings
A much loved family recipe, the Pōhutukawa Pantry 2 Kg Gluten Free Christmas Cake is bursting with fruit. Carefully selected sun dried apricots, raisins, sultanas, cherries and tangy citrus, are soaked in Kaiapoi Distillery’s exceptional quality crafted brandy, warmed by the Canterbury sun and turned regularly over three days making the fruit plump and juicy while developing the flavours and heavenly aromas.
Fresh free range local eggs and Rice flour mixed with the finest festive spices help to bind the mixture. The cake is topped with nuts, cherries and ginger and once baked, is brushed with brandy and glazed with homemade Southland apricot jam.
Slow maturing process. Our cakes receive very personalised attention over the twelve to twenty weeks before the cake reaches your Christmas table! During this time the cakes are brushed with brandy three times and twice lavishly covered in Southland homemade apricot jam (Organic grown Apricots) blended with warm brandy with a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Certified Gluten Free
200 mm Diameter
2 Kg
22 Servings
A Little Taste of Plant-Based Christmas Magic
Crafted with care from our family to yours, the Pōhutukawa Pantry Vegan Mini Christmas Cake is a beloved holiday classic, reimagined to celebrate the season with entirely plant-based ingredients.
A Labour of Love
Exceptional baking requires patience, and our slow-aging process is something we pour our hearts into. For twelve to twenty weeks before these delightful cakes find a place at your holiday gathering, each one is given individual attention.
Fresh from the oven, they are hand-topped with wholesome plump cherries. During their maturation, they are steeped with brandy three separate times and generously glazed twice using our own homemade apricot jam—carefully infused with a splash of brandy and a hint of fresh lemon juice.
A Joyful Little Token of Appreciation
These charming, petite vegan cakes take the stress out of holiday gifting while showing how much you care. Baked to capture the exact same deep, festive flavors as our traditional-sized cakes, they promise a beautifully authentic taste without any animal products. They are a wonderful way to share a little seasonal joy with:
Neighbours and dear friends
Teachers and caretakers
Workmates and clients
Or simply tucked into a beautifully festive gift basket!
370 gm
4 Servings
Yes, finally after a few experiments we’ve come up with a vegan cake that I’m proud to say is yum! Geoff - Head Baker
Filled with apricots, raisins, sultanas, cherries, tangy citrus fruits that are all soaked in the sun for three days using locally aged fermented brandy. Blending pure plant based butter, oat milk (working on finding a local farmer to provide, so please keep an eye out for us!) rich dark treacle, brown sugar, locally grown baking flour plus seven yummy spices to give you that perfect Christmas cake taste!
Hand decorated beautifully with pecans, almonds, cherries and ginger.
Slow maturing process. Our cakes receive very personalised attention over the twelve to twenty weeks before the cake reaches your Christmas table! During this time the cakes are brushed with brandy three times and twice lavishly covered in Southland homemade apricot jam (Organic grown Apricots) blended with warm brandy with a touch of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Christmas has to be perfect!
150 mm
1 Kg
12 Servings
The Pōhutukawa Pantry Christmas Tarts contain a generous portion of spiced rich fruit filling with a touch of ginger – also a family recipe passed down through our generations. Blended and soaked in Kaiapoi Distillery’s crafted Sherry over a six-month period to produce the most complex and intense flavour, then encased in buttery short crust pastry.
Pack of six yummy treats
The holidays just aren't quite the same without the rich, buttery crunch of our Shortbread Christmas Trees, baked with a lovely hint of natural vanilla.
This special recipe is a treasured piece of our family history, lovingly passed down through three generations since 1829.
Whether you're treating yourself or gifting a loved one, these delightful cookies are the perfect way to share a little joy this Christmas.
Eight yummy pieces
Pōhutukawa Pantry Steamed Pudding
A Christmas feast wouldn’t be the same without a steamed pudding. Let Pōhutukawa Pantry do all the work for you. Our traditional family recipe involves fruit prepared the same three day sun warmed method as our Pōhutukawa Christmas Cakes. The fruit is then mixed with Cassels & Sons Brewing Company’s smooth strong Milk Stout, brought to the boil and cooled overnight. Fresh orange juice and zest, grated carrot and festive spices are mixed in.
Staying true to traditional recipe and method, the pudding basin is lined with real butter and baking paper, topped with a paper cap and linen cloth. A foil cover seals in the flavours and aromas and a cotton string is tied twice and looped to provide a traditional handle. A long slow process of cooking and steaming for nine hours in small batches then matures the pudding over several weeks. Just like our Nanny made it.
Your Pōhutukawa Pantry Steamed Pudding comes ‘ready to simmer’ in the Mason Cash ceramic pudding basin it was conceived in – an English design classic.
This decadent moist pudding has extraordinary flavour and character and releases divine festive aromas during the final one hour steaming process in your home.
An ideal gift for lovers of fine cuisine.
Best served with custard or brandy sauce and ice cream to taste.
10 Servings
Some recipes do more than just taste wonderful—they bring back the very best childhood memories. For generations, our family has passed down this special blend of richly spiced fruits, a comforting touch of ginger, lemon and orange zest, and a little brown sugar. To achieve its incredibly complex and intense flavour, we let it rest and soak for twelve months in locally crafted sherry. It’s a sweet slice of our heritage, made to be shared.
440gm
The Cathedral Cake is Dairy Free and Gluten Free and a verytasty alternative to our traditional Christmas fruit Cake range. Packed full of glazed fruits and nut goodness that creates a flavour and texture sensation.
Called the Cathedral/Bishop or Stained Glass Window cake, due to its exquisite appearance once thinly sliced.
450 gm
137 X 75 X 60mm
Our delicious Christmas Truffles are divine and contain a magical depth of taste by using our most aged Christmas cake portions that are carefully aged with brandy for up to three years. Blended with festive nuts, fresh lemon and orange zest, rolled by hand and dipped in pure rich dark chocolate. Drizzling of white chocolate over our truffles is the perfect finishing touch to a self-indulgent treat.
A delicious little luxury enjoyed best from the fridge. Beware – just one may not be sufficient!
Pack of six yummy treats
A Little Slice of Holiday Joy
Bringing a touch of warmth from our family oven straight to your holiday gatherings, the Pōhutukawa Pantry Mini Christmas Cake is a cozy, heartwarming treat crafted so everyone can share in the magic of the season.
Baked with Heart
Wonderful things take time, and our careful aging process is a true reflection of our love for baking. For twelve to twenty weeks before these specialty cakes join your festivities.
Right out of the oven, we affectionately adorn them with a vibrant crown of premium cherries. As the weeks pass, we gently brush them three times with brandy, finishing with a double coat of our very own homemade apricot glaze—lovingly sweetened with a splash of brandy and a bright twist of fresh lemon.
The Perfect Thoughtful Gift
During the bustling holiday season, these delightful mini cakes make sharing joy absolutely effortless. Bursting with the finest premium fruits and warm, rich spices of our classic recipe, they bring all the festive comfort you know and love. They are a wonderful little surprise to brighten the day for:
Cherished friends and neighbours
Wonderful teachers and caretakers
Valued colleagues and clients
Or simply nestled into a beautiful festive gift hamper!
370 Grams
Serves 4