Gluten Free Christmas Cake

 

✓ Gluten-free
✓ Dairy-free

This wonderful recipe and video replay is courtesy of Bobbie, and the recipe is from The Healthy Chef. As a gluten and dairy free take on a Christmas classic, this recipe satisfies a wide range of dietary requirements, and is the perfect treat to bring along to a Christmas lunch. It also has no added sugar, with all the sweetness coming solely from the fruit, and it’s full of healthy fats from the EVOO and raw nuts, so you can enjoy a slice this Christmas knowing you won’t end up in a food coma later. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake
600g mixed dried fruit (such as raisins, chopped dried apricots and sultanas)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract or paste
Zest and juice from 1 orange
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 organic eggs, lightly whisked
200g (2 cups) ground almonds
50g walnuts

Custard
500ml of non dairy milk
2 organic eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract or paste
2 tablespoons maple syrup or 1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon cornflour or kudzu
Pinch nutmeg

For the Christmas cake 

  • Preheat your oven to 160°C fan forced. While preheating, prepare a 20 cm round cake tin by lining the base and sides with baking paper.
  • Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and fold through until well-combined.
  • Pour the batter into your prepared baking tin and level the top.
  • Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean, if not bake for another 15-30 minutes. If necessary, cover the top to prevent the cake from burning or drying out.
  • Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Once cool, remove from the tin and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

For the custard

  • Heat milk in a saucepan with vanilla and honey and bring to almost boiling point, then remove from the heat.
  • Beat the eggs and cornflour in a stainless steel mixing bowl until combined.
  • Pour the hot milk over the eggs and whisk in well.
  • Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
  • Remove from the heat quickly and pour back into the mixing bowl.
  • Whisk well to cool a little and smooth it out. If you see any lumps then strain through a sieve.
  • Serve hot or cold.To warm up a cold custard, place into a bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water.  Stir and heat through gently.

We hope you enjoy this Gluten Free Christmas Cake this festive season and we look forward to seeing you all again when the practice reopens next year!