It contains no butter, added sugar or salt - a great way for everyone to celebrate Christmas! The fruit content of this cake does affect blood glucose levels – cut into the number of pieces outlined in the recipe and limit to one serving per meal or snack.
Ingredients 1 kg mixed dried fruit 1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 cup orange juice 1 cup nuts 2 cups wholemeal flour 2 tablespoons gluten flour or extra flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 3 eggs 1/4 cup slivered almonds 2 tablespoons sherry Steps For the mixed dried fruit use any combination of the following dried fruits: dried fruit mixture, sultanas, raisins, prunes, currants, dried apricots, peaches, nectarines, dried apples, dried mango etc. Chop or cut (with scissors) large pieces of fruit into pieces the size of sultanas. Put them in a tough, heatproof plastic bag and pour the boiling water and then the orange juice over them. Close the bag, leaving an opening of about 2cm unsealed, lie fairly flat in the microwave and cook on High (100% power) in 1 minute bursts, until the fruit is hot. Turn the bag over after the first minute, making sure the liquid can't escape. When the fruit is hot, take the bag out of the microwave and lie it on a cold surface to cool to room temperature. Leave overnight or for at least 2 hours, to cool and soak up the liquid. Turn the oven on to 160 ° C or 150 ° C fan-bake with the rack below the middle. Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. When you are ready to mix the cake, chop the nuts finely and put them in a large container with the wholemeal flour, gluten flour (if available) and the baking powder. Mix thoroughly. In a mixing bowl large enough to hold everything, beat the eggs until thick and fluffy with a rotary beater. Add the cold fruit mixture and the dry mixture. Mix with a clean hand until everything is thoroughly combined. If about a cupful of mixture seems to be too dry to drop from your hand, add 2-3 tablespoons extra water or sherry. Put the mixture into the cake tin by hand, pushing it evenly into the corners. Level off the top with a damp hand. Sprinkle evenly with the slivered almonds. Bake, starting testing the cake after 1 1/4 hours. It usually takes about 1 1/2 hours until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean, showing the cake is ready. Stand the hot, cooked cake on rack. Sprinkle or brush the surface of the cake with 2 tablespoons of sherry for extra flavour. When cold, wrap the cake in greaseproof paper and a tea towel, and store in the fridge for a least several days before cutting or freeze strips (see below) in airtight plastic bags, up to 3 months. To cut the cake into 1cm x 4cm slices, use a sharp serrated knife. Cut the cake into five strips of equal width, then cut each of these crossways into about twenty 1cm slices.
Christmas Cake (suitable for diabetics)
INGREDIENTS 3 cups mixed dried fruit (I use a brand called real value because the fruit is not sticky and syrupy, and I pick out the green cherries cos I cant take them seriously) ½ cup pitted dates 1 can of apricots or peaches in juice not syrup ¼ cup cold tea Zest of an orange 1½ tsp mixed spice ¾ tsp cinnamon 3 eggs beaten 2¼ tsp baking soda 1/3 cup sliced almonds 2 cups self-raising flour 16 whole almonds for decorating 1 tsp melted butter METHOD Place the dried fruit in a large saucepan add the spices, juice from the canned fruit and orange zest. Chop the dates and canned fruit into small pieces and add to the pan with the cold tea. Bring to the boil stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes then cool. Heat the oven to 170°C and grease and line an 18 cm square cake tin. When cool add the beaten eggs, almonds, baking soda and flour to the fruit and quickly combine. Stir well to ensure no floury pockets in the mix. Quickly pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until dark golden and well risen. A skewer inserted into the cake should come out clean.
petal1955,
Nov 16, 5:36pm
If the cake browns too quickly place a double layer of paper over the top to protect it. When cooked, cool for a few minutes in the tin then turn out, carefully remove baking paper and brush the top with melted butter to add a little shine.
petal1955,
Nov 16, 5:39pm
Diabetic sugar-free Christmas fruit cake Ingredients: 300g sultanas. 250g currants. 200g raisins. 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and grated 1 small glass dry sherry. Grated rind of 1 orange. Juice of 1 orange made up to 220ml with water. 75g butter. 160g wholemeal flour. 160g plain flour, sifted. 2tsp baking powder. 1tsp mixed spice. 2 eggs, beaten. Method: Place the dried fruit and apple in a mixing bowl and pour the sherry over. In a saucepan, melt the butter with the orange juice and rind. Pour over the fruit. Add the beaten eggs followed by the dry ingredients and mix well. Put the mixture in a lined baking tin 20cm x 20cm (8in x 8in) and bake at 160C (fan 150C)/ Gas Mark 2 for about 1hr to 1hr 15min. I used a 8in round tin and cooked it for a few minutes longer.
naturalbubba,
Jun 20, 11:54am
Do you think these diabetic cakes could also be Gluten Free/Sugar Free please? Thanks for your help :)
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