Recipe

Gluten-free Christmas cakes

Mar 30, 2015 1:00pm
  • 1 hr 5 mins preparation
  • 2 hrs cooking
  • Makes 6 Item
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Ingredients

2-in-1 basic fruit mix
  • 1 kilogram sultanas
  • 300 gram dried currants
  • 375 gram raisins, chopped
  • 600 gram pitted dried dates, chopped
  • 100 gram glace red cherries, quartered
  • 250 gram glace fruit (such as orange, pineapple, apricot, peach), chopped
  • 3/4 cup fig jam
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 cup ginger beer
  • 1 cup dark rum
Christmas cakes
  • 250 gram butter, softened
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 4 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free plain flour
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free self-raising flour
  • half quantity 2-in-1 basic fruit mix
  • walnuts, pecans, macadamias, blanched almonds, to decorate
  • 1/4 cup dark rum
  • 3 metres ribbon or hessian strips

Method

Gluten-free Christmas cakes
  • 1
    2-in-1 basic fruit mix: Combine the fruit, jam, rinds and spices in a large bowl. Add the ginger beer and rum; stir to combine.
  • 2
    Cover; stand at room temperature for 24 hours or up to 1 week, stirring occasionally.
  • 3
    Christmas cake: Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced). Line the base and sides of 6 deep 10cm round cake pans with 3 layers baking paper, extending paper about 4cm over the edge of the pans.
  • 4
    Beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Transfer the butter mixture to a large bowl; stir in the almonds and combined sifted flours then Fruit Mix.
  • 5
    Spoon cake mix into prepared pans; smooth the tops. Arrange nuts on the tops. Bake for about 1½ - 2 hours or until cooked when tested.
  • 6
    Brush tops of hot cakes with rum. Cover hot cakes tightly with foil; wrap in clean tea-towels. Cool in the pans overnight. When cooled, turn cakes out.
  • 7
    Decorate cakes with ribbon, if desired.

Notes

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. The cakes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 months. If you don’t have the small cake pans, bake the cake mixture in a deep 23cm round or 20cm square cake pan at 150°C (130°C fan-forced) for about 2½ - 3 hours. You can use 10cm round springform pans, if needed. It is easier to snip dried fruit with kitchen scissors. If the fruit sticks to the scissors, spray scissors lightly with cooking oil. Use a gluten-free ginger beer if making the gluten-free cakes, and check all ingredients are free of gluten.

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