SMALL VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Small vegan Xmas cake

Fruit and sugar soaking in rum

Only himself and myself eat Christmas Cake, so I no longer make the lovely large one I used to make. This one does instead; it's a souped-up version of my Rum Brack. A non-vegan version can be made of course - substitutes in receipe.

Oven-ready

RECIPE

150ml tea
50ml dark rum or brandy
225g mixed luxury dried fruit
75g glacé cherries, halved
75g pitted dates, halved
75g brown sugar
1 tsp of NoEgg made up as per pack OR 1 beaten egg
60g melted vegan marg
125g wholegrain spelt flour
125g self raising rice flour
1tsp bread soda
1 tsp mixed spice

METHOD

- Soak the fruit, sugar, rum/whiskey and tea in a bowl - leave until cold
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Grease and line the bottom of an 8" round tin (I used a 2lb loaf tin, this time)
- Add the melted marg to the fruit mix. Stir through.
- Add the beaten egg. Stir through.
- Sieve flour, then fold in the flour, bread soda and spice
- Scrape/pour mixture into the lined tin
- Bake for 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean
- Cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn onto a wire rack.
- Peel off paper when cool
- Wrap cake in greaseproof and store in a tin
- Prick cake with a cocktail stick and feed with a more rum/brandy once a week (if the cake lasts that long!)
- We're not marzipan or icing fans but vegan versions of both are available :)

Nollaig shona! Hapy Christmas!

CHRISTMAS CAKE 2016

Well, last year I didn't even bother making a cake which felt wrong. The problem is the three kids don't eat Xmas cake so it's only me and himself. Anyway, I decided to make a small cake this year, so here it is. (It's my teabrack with a bit of zhuzsh.) I should mention we are not icing and/or marzipan fans here but both are easily procured or made. We cut the cake today and it's boozy and yum. Happy Advent!

Soaked fruit

With the egg and marg mixed through

Teeny brandy :)

INGREDIENTS

150ml tea

50ml brandy (plus more for dousing later)

grated rind of one orange

200g dried fruit (candied fruit, glace cherries, sultanas, raisins)

100g stoned dates, sliced in half

100g brown sugar

1 beaten egg

50g melted marg

255g wholegrain spelt flour

1 tsp bread soda

1 tsp mixed spice

flaked almonds to top (optional)

METHOD

- Soak the fruit, rind, sugar, brandy and tea in a bowl - leave overnight or for at least 4 hours

- Preheat the oven to 180C

- Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (ready-made liners are great and very little greasing needed!)

- Add melted marg to the fruit mix. Stir through.

- Add beaten egg. Stir through.

- Sieve in the flour, bread soda and spice

- Place mixture into the lined tin and flatten out the top

- Sprinkle with a handful of flaked almonds (if using)

- Bake for one hour, until a skewer comes out clean

- Cool in the tin for 10 mins then turn onto a wire rack.

- Once cool, make holes with a skewer and pour on a few tsps of brandy

- Wrap in greaseproof paper, then tinfoil and store in an airtight tin.

- Douse with a few tsps of brandy, bottom and top of cake alternately, at one week intervals, until you want to eat it.

RAW XMAS CAKE FROM NATASHA'S

For raw fans, here's a new one: Raw Luxury Christmas Cake. It's €11.99 and you can buy it here from Natasha's.

VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

All the ingredients, ready to go

It's hard to believe it's Christmas cake time again already. I've been making this Rose Elliott-based recipe for years and vegans and non-vegans alike love it - it's a boozy, fruity, moist cake. Absolutely delicious.

Juno mixing and wishing

We made the cake yesterday and Juno (5) said, 'We are celebrating Thanksgiving by making this cake.' Sweet girl.

Finn having a mix and a wish

Get all the ingredients measured out and ready before you begin. It will make the whole thing much easier. We don't ice our cake but it's easy to get vegan marzipan and icing.

Breadcrumbing is serious business

My wishes made while stirring this cake always seem to come true so I am hopeful for this 2014 version too.

The finished cake

Scotch this year (again!) instead of brandy.

INGREDIENTS:

350 gr wholegrain spelt flour

175gr vegan marg

175gr light muscovado sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

150gr sultanas

200gr raisins

150gr dates, halved & pitted

50 gr flaked almonds

1 tblsp treacle

100gr glacé cherries, halved

grated zest of an orange

2 tblsps ground almonds

120ml soya milk

2 tblsps red wine vinegar

¾ tsp of bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)

6 tblsps (90ml) brandy/whiskey

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 150˚C

• Grease an 8” cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. Make an outer 'lining' with a higher cuff to stop the top of the cake burning.

• Sieve the flour and spice

• Rub in the marg until the mix is like breadcrumbs

• Stir in the flaked almonds and treacle

• Add the sugar, dried fruit, cherries, orange zest and ground almonds and mix

• Warm half the soya milk in a small pot and add the vinegar

• Dissolve the bread soda in the rest of the soya milk, then add

this to the milk and vinegar mix

• Stir this into flour and fruit mix until well combined

• Spoon mix into greased tin and smooth the top

• Bake for 2 hours, until a skewer/cocktail stick comes out clean

• Leave cake in tin to cool, then turn out and peel off greaseproof

• Prick cake with a cocktail stick and feed with a third of the brandy

• Wrap cake in greaseproof and store in a tin

• Feed with the rest of the brandy/whiskey at weekly intervals

• Will keep for 4 weeks or so

Nollaig shona! Merry Christmas!

MINCE PIES

This recipe is from Rachel Allen's lovely book Bake, which always seems to have easy, no-nonsense recipes when I need them. I love mince pies and was staring at them in Tesco this morning but resisted in favour of making some with Juno. Kids and baking are a great match when Mammy's in great form. Not so much today, but we got there :) And the mince pies are delicious.

INGREDIENTS 

For the sweet shortcrust pastry:
200 g plain flour, sifted
1 tablespoon icing sugar
100 g chilled butter, cubed
1 medium egg, beaten
Filling:
250 g mincemeat (c. half a jar)
1 egg, beaten
Icing sugar for dusting

METHOD

* On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry to 3 mm thick.
* Cut 24 rounds with a 6 cm cutter,
* With a smaller cutter or heart/star cutter cut-out 24 lids. Re-roll the trimmings, if necessary.
* Line the holes of the cake tin with the larger pastry rounds. Fill each base with a teaspoon of mincemeat and top with one of the smaller rounds or hearts.
* Brush the tops of the mince pies with beaten egg.
* Bake in the oven for about 13 minutes until pale golden brown.
* Cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
* Dust with icing sugar to serve.

VEGAN SPELT XMAS CAKE

It's vegan Christmas cake time - woo! I love this boozy, fruity cake which I adapted from a recipe of Rose Elliott's. I made it yesterday with help from the two youngest. Each year I feel like trying a new recipe but I've been making this cake for years and it is utterly delish. It's a 'work' cake but if you can't put the work in for Christmas, when can you? I always get comments from people who've made this cake and loved it, so please comment!

It's a good idea to get all your ingredients weighed and ready in advance - it makes it all go smoothly.

Juno mixing, Finn waiting his turn

This recipe makes a lovely moist cake; we used it as our wedding cake in 2010. We eat it plain but you can buy vegan marzipan and icing to decorate it if you like.

Nollaig shona! Happy Christmas!

Leaving a collar of paper above the tin stops the top of the cake burning

INGREDIENTS

350 gr wholegrain spelt flour (I use Doves Farm Organic)
175gr vegan marg
175gr light muscovado sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
150gr sultanas
200gr raisins
150gr dates
50 gr flaked almonds
1 tblsp treacle
100gr glacé cherries, halved
grated zest of an orange
2 tblsps ground almonds
120ml soya milk
2 tblsps red wine vinegar
¾ tsp of bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
6 tblsps (90ml) brandy

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 150˚C
• Grease an 8" cake tin and line with a layer of greased greaseproof; leave a ridge of paper at the top
• Sieve the flour and spice
• Rub in the marg until the mix is like breadcrumbs
• Stir in the flaked almonds and treacle
• Add the sugar, dried fruit, cherries, orange zest and ground almonds and mix
• Warm half the soya milk in a small pot and add the vinegar
• Dissolve the bread soda in the rest of the soya milk, then add
this to the milk and vinegar mix (it will puff up nicely!)
• Stir this into flour and fruit mix until well combined
• Spoon mix into greased tin and smooth the top
• Bake for 2 hours, until a skewer/cocktail stick comes out clean
• Leave cake in tin to cool, then turn out and peel off greaseproof
• Prick cake with a cocktail stick and feed with a third of the brandy
• Wrap cake in greaseproof and store in a tin
• Feed with the rest of the brandy at weekly intervals (if the cake lasts that long!)

The cake fresh from the oven

The finished cake

VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Herewith - belatedly - my vegan Christmas cake - it's boozy, fruity and utterly yum. I made it yesterday with a little help from two of the kids. I've been making this cake for years and I always get comments from people who've made it, so please comment!

This year I am taking part in my friend Emily's Advent Linky Party with this recipe. See the Craft Advent/nest button over on the right and click to learn more.

Everything ready to go!

It helps hugely, I find, to get all your ingredients weighed and ready in advance.

Juno observing, Finn measuring

Nuala making a wish :)

This recipe makes a lovely moist cake; we used it as our wedding cake last year. We eat it plain but you can buy vegan marzipan and icing to decorate it if you like.

Nollaig shona! Happy Christmas!

INGREDIENTS

350 gr wholegrain spelt flour
175gr vegan marg
175gr light muscovado sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
150gr sultanas
200gr raisins
150gr dates
50 gr flaked almonds
1 tblsp treacle
100gr glacé cherries, halved
grated zest of an orange
2 tblsps ground almonds
120ml soya milk
2 tblsps red wine vinegar
¾ tsp of bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
6 tblsps (90ml) brandy

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 150˚C
• Grease an 8" cake tin and line with a layer of greased greaseproof; leave a ridge of paper at the top
• Sieve the flour and spice
• Rub in the marg until the mix is like breadcrumbs
• Stir in the flaked almonds and treacle
• Add the sugar, dried fruit, cherries, orange zest and ground almonds and mix
• Warm half the soya milk in a small pot and add the vinegar
• Dissolve the bread soda in the rest of the soya milk, then add
this to the milk and vinegar mix (it will puff up nicely!)
• Stir this into flour and fruit mix until well combined
• Spoon mix into greased tin and smooth the top
• Bake for 2 hours, until a skewer/cocktail stick comes out clean
• Leave cake in tin to cool, then turn out and peel off greaseproof
• Prick cake with a cocktail stick and feed with a third of the brandy
• Wrap cake in greaseproof and store in a tin
• Feed with the rest of the brandy at weekly intervals (if the cake lasts that long!)

The cake cooling in the tin

The finished cake!

NEARLY XMAS CAKE TIME

The recipe is ladybird-ed to the notice board and I am off to buy the ingredients. Any day now the mood will feel right for baking the Vegan Christmas Cake. My recipe is a Rose Elliott one that I adapted and I adore it. People always contact me to say they have made it with great success so I hope more of you will do so this year. Stay tuned!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

My friend Claire made my vegan cake - look at her gorgeous result. Nollaig shona / Happy Christmas to everyone.

VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

I've made my Xmas cake. Yes, last night I made it and we all had a stir and a wish. My wish from last year came true - a healthy baby girl - so I have high hopes for this year's wish!

I fancied a change, so I trawled through all my books and the net for a new vegan Xmas cake recipe but, in the end, I decided to use the same one I've used the last few years. The cake is so utterly delicious, I just knew it'd be better than all the recipes I studied over the last week.

Go here for the recipe I posted last year, which comes courtesy of the fabulous Rose Elliott - with some adaptation.

Calling this an Xmas cake in this house is laughable really, because we tend to eat it from the start of November until it runs out. It calls to us from the tin...and anyway, Christmas is so goody-packed, you don't really need a cake, do you??!!

FIG AND ORANGE MUFFINS

Here's a seasonal take on my regular spelt muffins. Oranges are so Christmassy, are they not? They just smell like Christmas to me.

Makes 12 small, figgy-orange muffins.

Preheat oven to 180˚C

125 gr of halved or quartered ready-to-eat figs
rind and juice of 1 large orange
250 gr (9oz) wholegrain spelt flour
25gr (1oz) light muscovado sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
100ml soya milk
1 tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water (non vegans can use one beaten egg)
2 tblsps vegetable oil
12 muffin or bun cases


• Put muffin cases into bun tray
• Zest the orange, then half it and squeeze it
• Cut up the figs into halves or quarters (depends how big they are) and remove any stalks
• Soak the figs in the orange juice and rind
• Mix the flour, spice, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
• Make up the NoEgg as per pack (or beat your egg)
• In a jug, mix together the soya milk, oil and NoEgg mixture
• Make a well in the flour and beat in the milky mixture
• Mix in the fig and orange mixture until combined
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases
• Bake for 30 minutes

[ ORGANIC ] VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

EVERYTHING READY TO GO



MAKING A WISH



THE FINISHED CHRISTMAS CAKE

You can use all organic ingredients, but you don’t have to. This makes a lovely moist, boozy and fruity cake. We eat it plain but you can buy vegan marzipan and icing to decorate it if you like. I like to get everything measured and ready before I start, so that the making of the cake goes smoothly.



INGREDIENTS

350 gr wholegrain spelt flour
175gr vegan marg
175gr light muscovado sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
150gr sultanas
200gr raisins
150gr dates
50 gr flaked almonds
1 tblsp treacle
100gr glacé cherries, halved
grated zest of an orange
2 tblsps ground almonds
120ml soya milk
2 tblsps red wine vinegar
¾ tsp of bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
6 tblsps (90ml) brandy



• Preheat oven to 150˚C
• Grease an 8” cake tin and line with a double layer of greased greaseproof
• Sieve the flour and spice
• Rub in the marg until the mix is like breadcrumbs
• Stir in the flaked almonds and treacle
• Add the sugar, dried fruit, cherries, orange zest and ground almonds and mix
• Warm half the soya milk in a small pot and add the vinegar
• Dissolve the bread soda in the rest of the soya milk, then add
this to the milk and vinegar mix
• Stir this into flour and fruit mix until well combined
• Spoon mix into greased tin and smooth the top
• Bake for 2 hours, until a skewer/cocktail stick comes out clean
• Leave cake in tin to cool, then turn out and peel off greaseproof
• Prick cake with a cocktail stick and feed with a third of the brandy
• Wrap cake in greaseproof and store in a tin
• Feed with the rest of the brandy at weekly intervals
• Will keep for 4 weeks