My mother used to bake this cake every Christmas and I can vividly remember the kitchen being filled with the heady smell of baking fruit and spices. It is the best fruit cake I have ever tasted, and my customers must agree because I sell out every year!
serves: 8 to 10
preparation: 30 minutes
baking: 2½ hours
cooling: 1 hour 20 minutes
freeze: Yes, before icing
300g (10½oz) dairy-free spread
300ml (10fl oz) cranberry juice
300g (10½oz) runny honey
175g (6oz) dried sour cherries
175g (6oz) glacé cherries
350g (12oz) raisins
325g (11½oz) sultanas
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
150g (5½oz) wheat- and gluten-free plain flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
150g (5½oz) ground almonds
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
100g (3½oz) candied mixed peel, finely diced
Brandy, for feeding
675g (1½lb) almond paste or marzipan
675g (1½lb) Dr. Oetker ready-to-roll icing
equipment
20cm (8 inch) deep round cake tin
* Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/Gas 3. Grease the cake tin and line the base and sides with baking parchment.
* Melt the dairy-free spread, cranberry juice and honey in a large heavy-based saucepan.
* Stir in the sour cherries, glacé cherries, raisins and sultanas, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes, when the fruit should be plump and luscious.
* Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the bicarbonate of soda. The mixture will fizz furiously for a while. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
* Fold the flour, xanthan gum, ground almonds, nutmeg and candied peel with a large metal spoon into the fruit mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level with the back of a dessert spoon.
* Tear off a piece of baking parchment large enough to cover the top of the tin and halfway down the side of the tin. Cut a small circle out of the middle of the paper. Lay the paper over the top of the tin and tie it in place with string. Wrap a sheet of brown paper round the tin again, tying in place with string. This is to protect the cake during the long baking time. Place on a baking tray because a small amount of grease will seep out the bottom of the tin.
* Bake in the preheated oven for 2½ hours or until a metal skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave in the tin to cool for 1 hour.
* Run a knife round the collar of the cake, remove the cake from the tin and leave to finish cooling on a metal cooling rack.
* When completely cool, pierce the surface of the cake with a metal skewer and feed with a couple of tablespoons of brandy.
* Wrap the completely cold cake in a double layer of baking parchment and again in foil and store in a cool place, feeding at intervals with brandy. (I like to feed my Christmas cakes with 2 tablespoons of brandy every other day for two weeks before icing.)
* A week before Christmas, cover the whole cake or just the top of the cake with almond paste or marzipan.
* Leave at least a day before covering with ready-to-roll icing and decorating.
tip: You can make this cake up to a month in advance, storing in a cool place and feeding regularly until you are ready to cover it in almond paste and icing. If you don’t like almond paste or icing, this cake tastes just as good with a light dusting of icing sugar.
Chocolate banana loaf
At some time or other, we all have bananas that need to be used up, and banana bread is an ideal way of doing this. If, however, you really want to treat yourself, try adding chocolate. It transforms the loaf into a rich and moist indulgence.
serves: 8
preparation: 15 minutes
baking: 55 minutes
cooling: 25 minutes
freeze: Yes
3 ripe bananas, mashed
170g (6oz) caster sugar
185g (6½oz) wheat- and gluten-free self-raising flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 large eggs, beaten
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