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!