Recipe: Refined Sugar Free Christmas Cake

Most Christmas cakes are packed full of gluten and refined sugar and contain hundreds and hundreds of grams of dried fruit.

While I’m a big believer that Christmas cake shouldn’t be sans fruit altogether, there is a way to make it low in sugar and of course, gluten-free and refined sugar free.

Here it is, courtesy The Natural Nutritionist. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• ½ cup dried fruit (e.g. apricots and sultanas)
• 30ml sherry*
• 2 cups hazelnut meal
• 1 cup linseed, sunflower and almond meal (LSA)
• 2 tablespoons nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 vanilla pod
• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 handful raw almonds

Method

1. Soak dried fruit in sherry overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 18O°C.
3. Combine meals, spices, baking powder, salt and vanilla pod in a large bowl.
4. Stir through soaked dried fruit.
5. Beat eggs and add to dry mix with coconut oil and rice malt syrup. Add water and stir well.
6. Spoon in a square cake tin lined with baking paper and bake for 30-40minutes or until it passes the skewer test.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
8. Remove from tin and top with almonds. Continue to cool on a wire rack before slicing. Best served warm.

*For alcohol free, simply add your dried fruit into the dry mix, without soaking.