Egg Free)

I have been so exited to share this recipe on my blog as it is wonderful.

My Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe is Gluten/Dairy and Egg Free ! Yet it is the most delicious xmas cake you will ever taste, that I promise you, the taste is outstanding.

My Christmas cake recipe does not need to be soaked in brandy, does not need marzipan or royal icing, yet it is moist with a fudge texture, packed with flavour and has a wonderful roasted almond topping with a tasty dust of icing sugar on top.

My xmas cake recipe is gluten free, so uses no wheat or gluten products, this Christmas cake recipe is also dairy free which means it uses no cream, milk or even butter or eggs.

How can a christmas cake taste so good, without those added ingredients ?

Well.. Try it yourself and you will see why, as this is the most delicious xmas cake you will ever taste! I promise that if you served this cake to your family or friends they would be certain they were eating an "indulgent cake" full of butter and wheat etc, but the truth is they will be eating a very tasty cake that is so healthy and good for you !

My gluten/dairy free christmas cake is truly AMAZING.

Ingredients for my xmas/christmas cake recipe:

1 Vanilla Pod (chopped in half)
2 Heaped Tbsp Honey
2 Level tsp Candied Peel
1 Handful Almonds
5 Figs (chopped into quarters)
6 Dates (chopped in half)
8 Dried Apricots (chopped into 3 pieces)
1 Handful Sultanas
3 tsp Molasses Sugar
2 Level tsp Olive Oil
1 cup of Hot Water
1/4 Cup Hot Water
3 Large Tbsp Buckwheat Flour
3 Large Tbsp Brown Rice Flour
1 Large tsp Sweet Mixed Spices
3 Tbsp Honey
120g Tin Prunes
1 Level Tbsp Brown Rice Flour
1 Level Tbsp Molasses Sugar

For the Topping..
5 Tbsp Ground Almonds
2 Tbsp Honey (I used white English honey)
Powdered Sugar to Dust
Honey to Spread
Almonds
Apricots
Cocoa Powder or Carob Powder to Dust

Getting Started on your Gluten free Christmas Cake Recipe...

Place 2 heaped Tbsp of honey into a bowl with your vanilla pod that has been cut into half.

Add your 2 level tsp of candied peel, handful of almonds, figs, dates, apricots and sultanas.

Now add your 3 tsp of molasses sugar and 2 level tsp of olive oil. Mix well.

Now carefully add your 1 cup of hot water and your 1/4 cup of hot water. Stir well and leave for 2 hours.

After 2 hours you will see that your fruit and nuts have softened and plumped up. Take out both vanilla pods, scrap out the seeds and discard the pod shells. Place the seeds back into your Christmas Cake mixture.

Now sieve into your bowl 3 large Tbsp of buckwheat flour, 3 Large Tbsp of brown rice flour and 1 tsp of sweet mixed spice.

Mix your xmas cake mixture very well.

Stir your other 3 Tbsp of honey into your mix. Take 12 prunes out of your tinned prunes and discard the prune juice.

You MUST TAKE OUT THE SEEDS FROM THE PRUNES! Once the seeds have been removed from the prunes mush them a little in your fingers as you add them to your cake mixture.

Mix very well.

Add your 1 level Tbsp of brown rice flour and 1 level molasses sugar. Stir very well.

With olive oil and brown rice flour grease and dust a flan dish or cake tin. Pour your cake mixture into your oven dish.

Place into the middle shelf of a pre-heated oven at 180C for exactly 40-45 minutes. Take your christmas cake out of the oven and turn the oven down to 125C - place your cake back into the oven and cook for another 40 minutes.

When 40 minutes is up turn off your oven and leave your cake inside it for another 5-10 minutes. When you take out your christmas cake it will be quite dark in colour but it should not be burnt.

Leave your cake in its tin for 15 minutes or so then take a small sharp knife and gently help the cake from the sides of your tin. Turn it upside down then gently remove the bottom.

Leave your christmas cake upside down on your plate.

Put your cake to the side. Take a flat pan and warm it up with your ground almonds, make sure you keep stiring your almonds around with a spatula until it turns golden brown. If you take your eye of the pan for a moment they may burn so make sure you keep stiring, this takes only a minute or two.

Place your ground pan roasted almonds into a little bowl straight away. Now add your 2 tsp of honey (here I used a white set honey you can use which you like).

Mix well.

Spread a thin layer of honey on top of your xmas cake, this is to help your roasted almond topping stick to the cake. Spread your almond mixture ove rthe top of your christmas cake.

Dust generously with powdered sugar.

Place a christmas tree biscuit cutter in the middle of your cake, dust gently with cocoa or carob powder. Remove the tree shaped biscuit cutter and decorate the edges with strips of almond nut and dried apricot.