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.

ALMOND, DATE & ORANGE LOAF

Readers of this blog will know I love the date 'n' orange combination. This is a sweet, orangey loaf that is very simple to make. I used an electric hand mixer but if you have strong mixing arms, it's not essential to use a mixer.

Ingredients

200g wholegrain spelt flour

75g plain flour
1 level tsp bread soda (sieved)
100g brown sugar
100g marg
125g carton yogurt

rind of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange

2 eggs
50g dates (stoned & chopped)
50g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

Lightly grease and base line a 900g/2lb loaf tin.

Beat the sugar and marg until smooth and creamy.

Add the yogurt, orange rind, juice and eggs. Mix well.

Add the flour and sieved bread soda and beat on low speed.

Add the dates and nuts and gently stir until well mixed.

Transfer to the prepared tin.

Bake for about 55 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Allow to stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire tray to cool.

VEGAN DATE & ORANGE BARS

I love dates and find them a brilliant sweetener in cakes and slices. I've adapted this recipe from one in Rachel Allen's Bake, a book that my sister gave us as a wedding present. I added an orange because it's a flavour that goes so well with dates. As usual, I've reduced the sugar in the original recipe. Most recipes use far too much sugar IMO. Sugar ages you, people, and generally you can reduce it with v little effect to sweetness.

200g chopped dates
Juice and zest of 1 large orange
150ml water
175g plain flour
125g brown sugar
100g porridge oats
175g vegan margarine
half tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

o Preheat the oven to 180˚C
o Grease a square cake tin (20cm x 20cm). Line the bottom with greaseproof paper.
o Heat the dates, orange juice, water and zest over a low heat until soft (about 10 mins). Allow to cool
o Sieve the flour and baking powder
o Mix in the sugar, salt and porridge oats
o Rub in the vegan marg until it all sticks together in clumps
o Press half the mix into the bottom of your tin, tamp it down
o Plop blobs of the date mix onto the base at intervals and smooth down
o Put the rest of the oat/marg mix on top until the dates are covered. Tamp down.
o Bake for 40 minutes, until golden-brown.
o Cool in the tin before slicing into bars

VEGAN DATE AND MUESLI SLICE

I adapted this from a Café Fresh recipe. I had to adapt it because their recipe included seeds and when I went to the press, the seed box was almost empty. So I threw in muesli, flaked almonds and a mushed up Weetabix instead. Necessity. Mother. Invention etc etc. This recipe is sugar free – so good for you!
I used a 12” x 9” oval ovenproof dish – a square one might work better for slicing.

240 g chopped dates
Juice and zest of 1 large orange
140g porridge oats
70 g muesli (try for one with seeds)
20 g flaked almonds
110g vegan margarine

o Preheat the oven to 180˚C
o Heat the dates, orange juice and zest over a low heat until soft (about 5 mins)
o Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl
o Rub in the vegan marg until it all sticks together
o Press half teh mix into the bottom of your ovenproof dish, tamp it down
o Plop blobs of the date mix onto the base at intervals and smooth down with your wooden spoon
o Put the rest of the oat/marg mix on top until the dates are covered. Tamp down.
o Bake for 25 minutes, until golden-brown.
o Cool in the dish before slicing – it may be crumbly. Who cares? Have more!

VEGAN BANANA BREAD

I’ve adapted this recipe (beyond recognition really) from a Nigella recipe in the wonderful How to be a Domestic Goddess. Nigella, of course, uses booze and extra sugar, but I wanted a more modest cake. Not that there’s anything wrong with rum or sugar but I am attempting to eat healthily, post baby. Therefore, homemade cake. Ahem. Even with less sugar the cake is gorgeously sweet and moist thanks to the bananas and dates.

175gr of plain flour
2 tsps baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
2tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water (or 2 beaten eggs for non vegans)
100gr of light brown sugar
125g vegan margarine, melted
100g whole seedless, soft dates
3 or 4 smallish ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence

o Preheat the oven to 170˚C
o Grease a 2lb loaf tin
o Mash the bananas
o Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda in one bowl
o In another larger bowl mix the melted sugar with the marg and beat until blended together
o Beat in NoEgg mix (or the eggs, one at a time), then the mashed bananas
o Stir in the dates and vanilla essence
o Add the flour mixture, one third at a time, mixing each portion well in
o Pour into the loaf tin and shake the tin to settle the mixture
o Bake for an hour in the middle of the oven.
o Test with a cocktail stick or skewer to see if it is baked through
o Let it cool in the tin on a wire rack

DATE & SPELT MUFFINS

You can use wholewheat flour instead of spelt flour if you prefer, but the spelt flour gives a lighter texture. These are a great snack: low in sugar but sweet because of the dates. Instead of dates, I also sometimes use the equivalent weight (150gr) in chopped apple, mashed banana or grated carrot, or blueberries.

This recipe makes 12 small, tasty, low GI muffins.

Preheat oven to 180˚C

250 gr (9oz) wholegrain spelt flour
25gr (1oz) light muscovado sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
150ml soya milk
1tsp NoEgg mixed with 2tblsps water
150 gr of chopped, de-seeded dates
2 tblsps vegetable oil
12 muffin or bun cases


• Put muffin cases into bun tray
• Mix the flour, spice, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
• Make up the NoEgg as per pack
• 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 dried fruit until you have a sticky, fruit-studded dough
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes