Especially Health Christmas Cake Recipe

Rich fruit cakes such as are traditional at Christmas can be easily made without added sugar and using gluten or wheat free flour instead of wheat flour. The predominant flavour and texture of the dried fruits overrides any slightly different flavour and provides enough sweetness for most people. The following recipe replaces added sugar with pureed dates, wheat flour with rice flour and eggs with arrowroot. It is particularly good made with our tangy citrus peel. See other recipes.

Vegan & Gluten Free Christmas Cake

• 6 oz/190g Organic Dates 6 tablespoons of Cold pressed Sesame oil
• 8 oz/250g Organic Currants 1 tablespoon of Molasses or Date Syrup
• 8 oz/250g Organic Raisins 1 tsp. Arrowroot or Kudzu
• 8 oz/250g Organic Sultanas 14 oz/400g Rice Flour
• 3 oz/ 90g Tangy citrus peel 1 tsp baking powder.
• 2 oz/60g Chopped Almonds 1 tsp. mixed spice.

Chop up the dates being careful to remove any stones and hard pieces of stalk. Put the dates in a small pan with 4 tbs. water and stir over a moderate heat until mushy. Remove from the heat, mash well and cool. Prepare the almonds and mix with the peel and the other dried fruit. Line an 8 inch cake tin with oiled grease proof paper.

Mix the cooked dates with the molasses. Add the dried fruits and chopped almonds taking care to break up any clusters of fruit. Mix the spice and baking powder with the flour in a separate bowl. Mix the dates with the oil and molasses and add to the other fruit. Dissolve the arrowroot with 6 tablespoons of water and stir into the fruit mixture. lightly stir in the flour mixture to the fruit mixture, mixing very well and adding a little water if necessary. Spoon the mixture into prepared tins.

Bake at Mk 2/300F/150C for 1 hour, then cover the cake with a double thickness of grease proof to prevent the top from burning and bake for a further 2 hrs. at Mk œ/250F/120C. Leave in the tin to cool. Remove the cake from the tin and wrap in grease proof paper and store in a tin. Before storing the cake I like to prick the cake well an pour 2 tbs. brandy over it. This cake will keep well for at least 2 weeks. Because it has less sugar to preserve it, if you want to keep it for longer I would suggest storing the cake in the fridge or freezer.