Requests for Christmas cake from Saskatchewan baker now nationwide

A Saskatchewan man's fruitcake recipe is winning hearts from coast to coast to coast. Mick Favel has more.

The fruitcakes baked by a Saskatchewan man are now being mailed to Christmas cake lovers across the country.

For the past six years, Jim Hadfield has been running a baking production from his home in Milestone.

The sales of his fruitcakes have expanded nationally, going coast-to-coast from B.C. to Newfoundland and north to the Northwest Territories.

This year’s order is the biggest he has ever done.

“I made 724 fruitcakes. A 20-per-cent increase over last year. They go all over Canada. All over Regina,” said Hadfield, who personally delivers orders in Regina.

Each year, Hadfield reaches out to his customers to begin planning the Christmas cake order. Then for a short period of time, he does a callout for others who would like to get one.

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Baking for the 2025 order began in June, concluding in September.

During the baking months, Hadfield is baking 20 cakes a day using two ovens. Each cake takes three and a half hours to make. He begins baking around 4 a.m. each day.

Hadfield said there are no secrets to the two cake flavours he uses. He has slightly altered the two recipes he learned.

“One of them is my mother’s recipe with changes. The other one is sort of a recipe that I found,” said Hadfield.

Hadfield also makes other baked goods.

His Facebook page, Jim’s Cakes & Christmas Fruit Cakes, has 40,000 followers. He posts regularly on the page about his baked creations.

Hadfield plans on accepting orders for next year in April, 2026.

Hadfield plans to do the same amount next year and not exceed his mark. This is due to time constraints.

“I can only do 20 a day so that’s the way it’s going to have to be. I’ll have to cut it off slightly over 700,” said Hadfield.