Friday 12 December 2014

12 Days Of Christmas - Healthy Christmas Cake!

Continuing my 12 Days of Christmas (posting everyday between this and my other blog) is a slightly lighter version of the classic Christmas cake. It uses ground almonds, grated apples, carrots, and as usual all the delicious dried fruits and spices.

Ingredients:

  • 175g self raising flour
  • 120g butter
  • 120g sugar
  • 2 egg
  • 100ml milk
  • 120g raisin
  • 120g sultanas
  • 120g currants
  • 55g ground almonds
  • 65g glace cherries
  • 65g blanched, sliced almonds
  • 1 small carrot
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp nutmeg (or cinnamon or mixed spice if you dont like nutmeg)
  • 1 small apple
  • rind of one small orange

Method:

Grease and line a 20cm tin and pre-heat the oven 120C.

Grate the apple and carrot into a bowl. Add the cherries sliced into quarters, raisins, sultanas, currants and sliced almonds. 

Sift together the flour, almonds and spices into a large bowl. Beat in the butter, sugar, eggs and milk until smooth.

Fold in the fruit mix with a spatula until evenly combined. Pour into the tin, 

Bake for 2 hours until a skewer comes out clean.It wont be as dark as your normal cake due to its lack of treacle (and dark sugar if using caster). Leave to cool, then take out of the tin.

Decorate however you like! For a traditional cake you could brush with apricot jam, cover with marzipan, royal or fondant icing and decorate.

For a more modern take, you could brush with the jam, the cover the tops with apricot and pecan halves, followed by more jam to give that nice shiny effect.

This cake un-decorated will last for 2-3 weeks wrapped and kept in an airtight container.

You could also feed the cake by dotting it with holes with a skewer while still in the tin and pouring over 2-3 tbsp of brandy (or juice for a non-alcoholic version).

Love Vic x







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