Gluten-free Christmas cake
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- plus overnight soaking and cooling
- Easy
- Serves 12
Ingredients
- 500g dried mixed fruit
- 75g dried sour cherries
- 4 tbsp brandy, plus extra for feeding
- 1 orange, zested
- 225g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for the tin
- 1 tbsp black treacle
- 340g soft light brown sugar
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 300g gluten-free plain flour
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 50g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground mixed spice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
Method
- STEP 1
Mix together the dried fruit, sour cherries, 3 tbsp of brandy and the orange zest until well combined. Cover and leave to soak overnight until the fruit has rehydrated and plumped up.
- STEP 2
The next day, heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 2. Butter a 20cm round springform cake tin and line with baking paper. Tip the soaked fruit, butter and treacle into a large pan set over a medium heat and cook for 3-5 mins or until the butter is melted, stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and mix in the sugar, followed by the eggs. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients and stir until you have a smooth, glossy batter.
- STEP 3
Tip the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the surface with the back of a spoon and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 1 hr 30 mins-1 hr 45 mins or until golden, risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out cleanly. Cool in the tin for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
- STEP 4
Once cool, drizzle over 1 tbsp of brandy, allow it to seep into the cake, then wrap in baking paper and store in an airtight container for up to two months. See above for tips about feeding with brandy in the run-up to Christmas.
