It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Who else has their bake on getting ready for delicious Christmas treats?

Prep Time: 30m |Cook Time: 30m

Ingredients

  • 250 grams raisins, finely chopped
  • 250 grams natural sultanas
  • 250 grams currants
  • 125 grams mixed peel
  • 125 grams glace cherries, left whole
  • 2/3 cup rum
  • 125 grams blanched almonds
  • 1 orange, finely grated zest
  • 1 lemon, finely grated zest
  • 2 tablespoons apricot jam
  • 250 grams butter
  • 250 grams brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons treacle
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 3 eggs
  • 315 grams ORGRAN All Purpose Plain Flour
  • 60 grams ORGRAN Self Raising Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, grated nutmeg, ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 2 tablespoons rum extra (to pour over cake after it is cooked)

Method

Cake will develop in flavour if made 2-4 weeks before it is required.

Fruit can be soaked in rum overnight or for up to 1 week. This will improve the flavour of the fruitcake.

When the cake is cooked, it is best wrapped in several thicknesses of newspaper and left until it cools completely. It can be stored in this wrapping until it is required.

  1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
  2. Prepare a 23cm (9″) round cake tin by spraying with cooking spray. Line base and sides of tin with baking paper.
  3. Cut out 3 layers of brown paper to wrap around outside and bottom of tin. Secure brown paper to tin with string. You will also need a sheet of brown paper to cover top of cake during cooking.
  4. Place fruits, peel, cherries, rum, almonds, rinds and apricot jam into a large mixing bowl and mix well.
  5. Cream butter, sugar, treacle and vanilla.
  6. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  7. Sift gluten free flours, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a medium sized bowl.
  8. Add fruit mixture and sifted dry ingredients alternately to creamed mixture, mixing well after each addition.
  9. Spread mixture into prepared tin. Bump tin a few times to remove air bubbles. Cover with brown paper.
  10. Place cake into moderately slow oven and bake for 30 minutes.
    Reduce heat to 120°C (250°F) and bake for a further 2 hours.
  11. Remove brown paper from top of cake and bake for a further 30 minutes or until cooked when tested.
  12. When cooked, remove from oven. Slowly pour extra 2 tablespoons rum over top of cake in tin.
  13. Place a sheet of greaseproof or brown paper on top of cake in tin and wrap in several thicknesses of newspaper.
  14. Allow to cool overnight before unwrapping.

    Via Orgran, visit their website for more great recipe ideas.

For more delicious Christmas recipes visit our food guide here.