Healthy Christmas Cake
I’ve had a few requests from clients and my blog readers for a Healthy Christmas Cake, so here it is my current favorite…
This is a super easy and quick cake to make and is really delicious. It can be made in any size from mini muffin tins to regular muffin tins, to 5 or 6 inch (that’s 12.5 or 15 cm for you young ones!) or just one larger 8 inch (20 cm) square or round. These smaller sizes make fabulous Christmas presents by the way!!
mixed dried fruit soaking in orange juice and brandy
Most Christmas cakes need to be made well in advance and stored for a while before cutting and eating. Not this one, it’s ready to eat the day it is made. Just let it cool first though!
straight out of the oven
Enjoy 🙂
- 500g mixed dried fruit (see note below - or use 100g each of raisins or cranberries, currants, chopped Medjool dates, figs and Australian dried apricots)
- ⅔ cup orange juice
- ⅓ cup brandy
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 teaspoons ground linseeds
- ½ cup wholemeal self raising flour
- ½ cup white self raising flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 16 pecans or other nuts for decorating, optional
- Soak fruit in juice, brandy, orange zest and linseeds for at least 2 hours, or overnight
- When ready to assemble, heat oven to 150 degrees and line 2 x 6 inch (15 cm) round cake tins or 1 x 8 inch (20 cm) round or square cake tin with greaseproof paper
- Sift together both flours, with cinnamon, nutmeg and ground ginger
- Stir flour mix through soaked fruit
- Spoon into prepared cake tins, smooth top and decorate with nuts if using
- Bake for approx 30 minutes for 6 inch tins or 40-45 minutes for 8 inch tin
Variations: If you don’t want to use brandy, just use all orange juice. If you want to use more brandy, use 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup brandy!
Per Serve (16 pieces): 545 kJ or 130 calories; P 1.6g Fat 0.5g SFat <0.1g CHO 26g Fibre 2.5g
