Christmas cake, a long staple of the festive family dinner table, is sometimes looked at with uncertainty on the supermarket shelf. Christmas chefs wonder if enough family members would even want a piece, in favour of (or as well as) other delectable desserts on offer, making the justification of buying the store-bought treat an annual conundrum.
Well maybe that’s because they haven’t tasted the Christmas cake you made yourself.
Nothing makes a classic bake taste better than when it’s homemade. With the recipe Alliance has available, you’ll not only be able to add that personal touch to a traditional dessert, we can even save you time by delivering many of the essential ingredients and equipment right to your door. What’s more, this Christmas cake is even vegan so no matter what the diet, any of your family and friends can enjoy it.
Ingredients
- 1kg Mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas and currants)
- 70g chia seeds
- zest and juice of one lemon and one orange
- 250g coconut oil
- 150ml rum (along with more for feeding)
- 200g light soft brown sugar
- 175 plain flour
- 1/2 tablespoon baking power
- 100g ground almonds
- 100g flaked almonds
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Let’s Make n’ Bake
- Historically, the soaking is the most important part in giving your Christmas Cake it’s moistness and flavour. Whilst some recipes advise an evening-before soak, we’re going to let you in on a quicker way that works brilliantly all on its own. First, you need to mix together your dried fruit, rum, sugar, coconut oil, zest and fruit juice in a large pan and bring it to a boil before allowing it to simmer for around 5 minutes. If the sugar is dissolved, then you’re on the right track. Now, let the mixture cool in a large bowl for 30 minutes.
- Get your oven preheated to 150°C/ gas mark 2.
- Line a 20cm round loose-based cake tin with two layers of baking parchment. Wrap around the outside a layer of newspaper and tie it secure with some string for added protection.
- Mix or blend together 150ml of water and your chia seeds. Keep mixing until you’re met with a thick gel-like solution.
- Stir together the chia seed-water mix, fruit mixture and the rest of your ingredients. An electric mixer is ideal but doing so by hand is just fine as well, as long as you mix well enough to eliminate any pockets of flour that may be hiding in the mix.
- Tip the complete mixture into your cake tin, evening it out with the spoon or a spatula and bake for 2 hours.
- Now comes the introductory feeding. Take the cake out of the oven, poke several holes into it using a skewer and pour in 2 tablespoons worth of rum over the cake, giving it the first of those additional boozy infusions.
- After letting it completely cool in the tin, peel the baking parchment off the cake, wrap it in cling film to store. Every fortnight, feed an extra 1-2 tbsp of rum, depending on how strong you want the flavour. Be sure to avoid feeding a week before icing though. Otherwise, the cake itself won’t be dry enough to let those finishing touches be applied properly.
Alternative Ingredients to Try
- Mixing it up with the fruit. Literally. Feel free to throw in different infusions to your fruity mix if you’re looking for a particular kick of flavour. For example, candied fruit, like glacé cherries, is an inarguable go-to in bakes that are made with extra splashes of sweetness in mind.
- Another substitution, chocolate! Mixing in milk chocolate drops or dark chocolate drops brings extra richness to the fruity flavour, creating a tasteful joy for palates all round. Just be sure to even out the ingredients with whatever you add in. If adding 100g of cherries for example, take an equal amount of the raisin-sultana-currant mixture out of the recipe. The same goes for any chocolate you might add. Failing to do so increases the cake’s time needed in the oven and may result in being under-baked if not taken into consideration.
- Not a fan of chia seeds or it’s water mixture for this recipe? What also works is the magical ingredient known as aquafaba, which is essentially known as chickpea water. Don’t let the lackluster origin fool you. When looking for a substitution for egg whites, aquafaba is a perfect alternative. You can get this by simply draining a can of chickpeas and you can even whip it.
- If you fancy a lighter topping, you don’t always have to go with a royally heavy icing. Using Madagascan vanilla pods or sprinkling leftover ground or flaked almonds on top packs a premium taste that each pairs with the cake’s boozy prowess. We’re also in favour of using a vegan vanilla cake frosting, lighter yet creamy choice that doesn’t skimp on deliciousness.
Summary
Article Name
Reinventing the Classics - Make your own Vegan Christmas Cake
Description
Nothing makes a classic bake taste a better than when it's homemade. With the recipe Alliance has available, you'll not only be able to add that personal such to a traditional dessert, we can even save you time by delivering many of the essential ingredients and equipment right to your door. What's more, this Christmas cake is even vegan so matter what the diet, any of your family and friends can enjoy it.
Author
Ben Williams
Publisher Name
Alliance Online
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