Christmas Cake
From the BBC Recipes website
Courses
Dessert
Servings
Prep Time
16
20
minutes
Cook Time
120
minutes
Servings
Prep Time
16
20
minutes
Cook Time
120
minutes
Ingredients
100
g
butter
Or vegan alternative (I use goat’s)
1
large ripe banana
finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
100
g
soft prunes
stoned and halved
75
g
raisins
75
g
sultanas
75
g
currants
50
g
mixed peel
150
g
soft dried apricots
chopped into fairly large pieces
75
g
walnuts and 25g hazelnuts
chopped, OR 75g large pumpkin seeds and 25g sunflower seeds
2
eggs
or 2 level tsp gluten-free baking powder to make an egg-free cake
75
g
coarse polenta
AND
75
g
rice flour and 1 level tsp xantham gum
OR
150
g
gluten free flour that already contains xantham gum
2
tsp
ground nutmeg
heaped
1
tsp
ground cinnamon
heaped
1
tsp
ground ginger
heaped
1/2
tsp
ground cloves
2
tbsp
brandy
optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160oC.
In a food processor beat the butter with the banana and lemon juice and rind and pour it into a bowl.
Mix in the dried fruit and nuts or seeds.
Beat in the eggs if you are using them.
Sieve whichever of the flours you are using with the baking powder (if you are using it instead of the eggs) and the spices.
Add some brandy if you like.
Line a 20cm cake tin with greased greaseproof paper and spoon the mixture in, levelling off the top.
Bake for about 2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Keep an eye on it as mine took much less time than this.)
Remove from the tin and cool on a rack.
Eat as it is or store in a sealed tin or box to be iced for Christmas.