A Very Jolly Christmas Cake Recipe
This really simple and super festive cake is a cheat’s dream. You can bake on the day or the day before you wish to eat it. You can make a larger batch of the mincemeat, as it stores really well, especially if you top it up a little each week with brandy.
Mincemeat ingredients (Makes 1 x .5 ltr Kilner jar)
50g pine nuts, toasted
50g dried cranberries
70g dried apricots, chopped
30g mixed peel
60g dates, chopped
50g gluten free, vegetarian suet
1 small apple, peeled, cored and grated. Any eating apple is fine.
Zest of one orange
Squeeze of orange juice.
50g milled flaxseed, sunflower & pumpkin seeds (available from Linwoods)
100ml brandy
½ tsp ground star anise
Cake Mix ingredients
140g Brown sugar
70g Sorghum flour
70g Ground Almonds
25g Ground golden flaxseed
1.5 tsp Gluten free Baking powder
0.2 tsp Vanilla powder
2 free range eggs
170g butter, melted
1.5 teaspoons mixed spice
To make the mincemeat
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and spread the pine nuts on top. Toast for 5 mins and allow to cool.
Line a round 8inch, loose bottomed cake tin with parchment paper or use a round cake tin liner.
Pop all of the mincemeat ingredients, including the cooled pine nuts, in a bowl and mix well by hand. You can squidge the ingredients together by getting your hands in there.
Decant into a 0.5 ltr glass kilner jar and store in a cool, dark place.
It’s best to leave this mixture for 5 days, adding a little Brandy on day 4 if you fancy. This ways the flavours will develop and mingle beautifully.
To make the Christmas Cake
Add the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the melted butter and eggs. Mix with a wooden spoon or hand held whisk until fully combined. Add 1.5 teaspoons of mixed spice and 4 heaped tablespoons of the mincemeat to the mix and stir in well.
Reset your oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 and bake for 20-22 mins. The cake will be mid golden and firm to the touch. A flat cake skewer will come out cleanly when the cake is ready. You can prick the cake all over with a cocktail stick and treat with more Brandy. Once the cake is cooled, turn out of its tin.
Eat within three days of baking.
Freezes well.
