Christmas cake without soda

Can you make a Christmas Cake with either baking soda or powder?

I haved used Gardies Christmas cake recipe for 3 years and it has been a success everytime. Her recipe only has 1/2 t of baking powder, being such a small amount you may be able to omit it?

Condensed Milk Christmas Cake

In a large saucepan
1/2lb butter (250g)
1 cup of water
2-3lb mixed fruit (1.5kg)
2 tbsp malt vinegar
Bring to boil. Cool then add to the saucepan
1 tin of condensed milk (large tin)
2 tbsp sherry or brandy
1 tsp glycerine
(From the supermarket next to the essences – edible Chemists don’t sell edible)
When mixed add
2 cups flour and 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp of each mixed spices ground cloves/nutmeg/cinnamon and mixed spice
Lemon essence/brandy essence/vanilla essence
2 tbsp custard powder
¼ tsp salt
Put in a lined tin bake 1 hour 160 Degrees C
Then reduce to 140 degrees C for 1&1/2 hours.

Ice with brandy butter icing.

50grms Butter
100grms sifted icing sugar
As much brandy as you like the taste of.
******************************-
******************
Christmas Cake

6 cups mixed dried fruits
½ cup flour
250g butter
1½ cups brown sugar
2 tablespoons treacle
4 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 teaspoon Lemon Essence
1 teaspoon Orange Essence
1¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 - 3 tablespoons brandy

1) Line the sides and bottom of a 23cm round cake tin with baking paper.
2) Fold newspaper paper around the tin so that it wraps right around and is high enough to come about 6 cm above the top of the tin.
3) Mix the fruit together in a large bowl and mix through the first measure of flour.
4) Melt butter, brown sugar and treacle together in a saucepan large enough to mix all the ingredients. Remove from the heat and cool.
5) Add eggs and beat well with a wooden spoon.
6) Mix in essences. Sift flour, spices into the saucepan. Mix until combined. Add the fruit and mix to combine.
7) Spoon into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface and sprinkle lightly with water. Secure newspaper around the outside of the tin.
8) Place about 8 layers of newspaper or a magazine on the rack in the oven and place the cake tin on this.
9) Bake at 150 degrees C for 1 ½ hours then lower the temperature to 130 degrees C and cook for a further 2 to 2 ½ hours or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
10) Cool cake in tin and pour over brandy.

I never use either.

neither is in two of my xmas cake recipes

I neither use baking soda or powder - I make a yeast dough and bake Christ stollen.