Traditional Fruit Cake

A generous slice of this boozy vegan fruit cake would go down a treat with a glass of brandy in the cold winter months. 

Traditional vegan fruit cake

Ingredients

• 500g mixed vine fruits
• 250g sultanas
• 200g glacé cherries (optional)
• 120g coconut sugar
• 200ml syrup
• 200ml sunflower oil
• 50g coconut oil
• 300g buckwheat flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp xanthan gum
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• grated zest and juice of each 1 lemon and 1 orange
• 50ml alcoholic spirits
• a pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven to just below medium heat. Prepare a 20cm square tin by lining it with greaseproof paper. The cake is a long time in the oven and this paper lining is designed to both protect the sides from scorching as well as making it easier to remove it from the tin.

1. Combine the dried fruit with the syrup, alcohol, citrus zest and juice.
2. Leave it to stand at room temperature overnight.
3. Sieve the flour, spices, baking powder and xanthan gum and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sunflower oil, coconut oil and coconut sugar creating a cream that is creamy and light.
5. Now add a spoonful each of the sieved dry ingredients and the fruit and work them into the mix. Keep adding fruit and flour bit by bit until three-quarters of both the flour and the fruit have been worked into the cream. Fold in the final quarter.
6. Pour the mix into the lined tin and bake in the oven for
   1½-2 hours. The cake is done when a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Cool and turn out of the tin. The cake will keep in an airtight container for many months. An extra option is to wrap it in an alcohol soaked cloth and then put it in the container.