Recipe: Christmas Cake - A Family Favorite

For those that wish to soak your cake in orange liqueur, as soon as you remove it from the oven, skewer holes through the cake and drizzle over ¼ cup orange liqueur so it can penetrate through the holes and infuse thoroughly. Alternatively, you can also soak the fruit in whiskey.

The combination of vanilla, orange and cinnamon is a perfect marriage in Christmas desserts and this cake can be served warm as a pudding with vanilla bean custard or thick natural yogurt.

Gluten Free Family-favorite Christmas Cake

 SERVINGS: 16-20           PREP TIME: 20 MINUTES       TOTAL TIME: 2 HOURS

Ingredients:

• 600 g mixed dried fruit or a mix of the following (raisins, prunes, figs, apricot, currants, sultanas, dates)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract or paste
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• Zest and juice of 1 orange
• 3 tablespoons olive/macadamia oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups ground almonds/ almond flour
• 50 g walnuts

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 150 C (fan forced).
2. Prepare an 18cm round cake tin with baking paper lining the sides and the base.
3. Combine dried fruit, spice, vanilla, orange zest+ juice, olive oil and eggs.
4. Add the almonds and walnuts and mix through.
5. Spoon the batter into your baking tin
6. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean.
7. Cover the top if necessary to prevent over-browning.
8. Cool, then remove the tin and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

For those allergic to nuts, you can replace it with 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour. Please add additional ¼ cup olive/nut oil and 1 teaspoon baking powder if doing so.

Wishing you all a happy holiday season!

In good health.