I've made three different Crimbo cakes since going vegan and this one is the best by far.
Christmas Cake
Ingredients
350 gr wholegrain spelt flour
1 tsp mixed spice
175 gr vegan marg
50 gr flaked almonds
1 Tblsp treacle
175 gr light muscovado sugar
150 gr sultanas
100 gr dried cranberries
100 grs dried prunes
150 gr dried dates
100 gr glacé cherries, halvedgrated zest of an orange
2 Tblsps ground almonds
120 ml soya milk
2 Tblsps red wine vinegar
¾ tsp of bicarbonate of soda
6 Tblsps (90ml) brandy plus more for later
Method
Preheat oven to 150˚C
Grease an 8 inch cake tin and line with a double layer of greased greaseproof
Sieve the flour and spice together and rub in the marg until the mix resembles breadcrumbs.
Stir in the flaked almonds and treacle then add the sugar, dried fruit, cherries, orange zest and ground almonds and mix well.
Warm half the soya milk in a small saucepan and add the vinegar.
Dissolve the bicarb in the rest of the soya milk, then add this to the milk and vinegar mix. It will all froth up and be very very exciting but instead of oohing and ahhing you want to stir it into the flour and fruit mix until well combined.
Get the family (or whoever is around) to stir the mix and make a wish. This is a very very important step and should not be missed.You can make wishes for absent friends and family too, that is not a problem.
Spoon the mix into the greased tin, smooth the top down and bake for 2 1/2 hours, until a skewer/knife comes out clean
Leave the cake in tin to cool then turn out and peel off greaseproof paper.
Prick the bottom of the cake with a cocktail stick and feed with the brandy.
Wrap cake in greaseproof paper and store in an airtight container.
Feed with more brandy 2 or 3 times a week.
I will be decorating this on the 23rd of December so be sure to check back to see it in all it's finished Christmassy glory.
20 comments:
That looks awesome, I've never made a christmas cake but I'm definitely going to this year & I'll be trying your recipe.
It's beautiful! I made the recipe you posted in 2008 and I loved it so hard! There was a layer of marzipan in the middle I think. Everyone thought it was too boozy, but that's because they were creampuffs! Maybe I'll make this one this year!!!
i love everything you put into the cake, Jeni - especially the cherries and lots of zest. super yum! it looks so pretty and delicious! i like the fat kitteh jar in the background. he's cute & looks like he wants to eat some of your christmas cake, too! ah ha ha!
looks great. in fact, it look so good that I would recommend eating it, now. :)
Oh, fruit cake is my very favorite Christmas treat (ok, after gingerbread dough)! This is the first fruit cake I have seen this year - I have been postponing making any (telling myself it's too early), but I think now I won't wait much longer... :)
It looks so beautiful! Well done!!!
I must comment to say that I love Sal in the background.
I've never made a fruitcake. I will definitely come back to see it all dressed up. Can't wait to see everyone's Christmas-y creations.
I love Christmas cakes! I think I'm going to make one this year...I'm printing out the recipe forthwith!
Hola Jeni! One question, have you made this already for christmas?! or are you going to eat it before? I'd love to make one, but as it will be my first time I have no idea of how I should do it. Do I have to make it now and keep "feeding" it with brandy until christmas? it's going to get really drunk :P thanks! I am so glad we "met" thanks to MoFo :)
keep up the great posts! i'm having a heck of a time keeping up with the reading. i like your spunk!
I love Christmas cakes too. Yeah, I'm making one this year, maybe this one, since it looks fantastic. And as my family considers them to be poison, I guess I'll have to eat it all myself. Oh well...
Your caek haz a drunk! Salt Kitteh is so cute and chubbeh! Aww, I love it!
Any cake that has brandy in it and then gets served with more brandy is alright with me! Great job on this lovely cake!
Yum it looks like a giant muffin top!
Whitney
I look forwards to seeing it in all it's iced glory!
Any cake that needs to be fed 2-3 times a week is too high maintenance for my liking! (I don't water the plants that often!).
It always amazes me how long festivus cakes can last for without growing fur! (It would never last long enough to "mature" in our house, as T.V would sniff it out and snaffle it!) ;P
I don't think I've ever made a Christmas cake... yours looks deeelish! I like the idea of the wish.
good god, what is this thing???? I've never heard of a christmas cake, but the ingredients sound totally crazy tasty. and it looks amazing. So, now it waits for a whole month? and you keep putting brandy on it? I am MOST CURIOUS about this!!! it's amazing!!!
I'm super distracted by that cat jar in the background. It's super cute!!!
bookmarked for later use...
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