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??!!

VEGAN OAT APPLE CAKE

This cake screams good health and a slice makes a great snack. It's sugar free too! Mine turned out a tad crumbly (again!) but is still delish.

Preheat the oven to 190 C

3 apples, peeled & chopped finely
1 carrot, peeled & grated
60g chopped walnuts
120ml veg oil (rape or sunflower)
100g raisins
150g plain flour
80g porridge oats
1 tsp vanilla essence
30ml soya milk

Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin
Sieve the flour into a large bowl
Mix in the porridge oats
Mix in the apples, walnuts, carrot & raisins
Add the soya milk and vanilla essence and stir
Mix in the veg oil
Spoon into the tin and bake for one hour
Cool in the tin before turning out

This is lovely plain or with a blob of soya dessert.