Ingredients
- 125 g (4.5oz) raisins
- 125 g (4.5oz) sultanas
- 125 g (4.5oz) currants
- 100 g (3.5oz) dried cranberries
- 100 g (3.5oz) mixed candied peel
- 85 g (3oz) glace cherries halved
- 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1Tbsp + 1tsp) rum or brandy
- 175 g (2/3 cup + 1Tbsp) dairy free block margarine
- 125 g (2/3 cup) dark brown soft sugar
- 50 g (1/3 cup) light brown soft sugar
- 30 g (one rounded Tbsp) treacle (or molasses)
- finely grated zest of 1 large orange
- finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
- 350 g (3 cups minus 2 Tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 40 g (1/3 cup) ground almonds
- 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin spice)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened soy milk (or other unsweetened non-dairy milk)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 60 g (2oz) almonds chopped
- rum or brandy for feeding
Instructions
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Start preparing the fruit at least the day before you want to bake the cake.
Mix all of the dried fruits together in a large bowl that has a lid, add the rum, stir well, then cover and leave overnight (or for up to a week - give it an occasional stir).
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The following day, preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Grease a deep 20cm/8inch round cake tin and line it with a double layer of baking parchment.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the dairy free margarine (or softened coconut oil), dark and light brown sugars, treacle and orange and lemon zest until fluffy.
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In a separate bowl, sift together the plain flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg.
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Tip the dry ingredients into the margarine mix, along with the soy milk and red wine vinegar. Stir until just combined; be careful not to over-mix. The batter should be very thick.
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Stir in the soaked dried fruits, along with any leftover liquid, and the chopped almonds.
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Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and use a spatula to spread it level. Because it is so thick it doesn't spread much in the oven so it is important that you get it as even as you can.
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Bake for 2-3 hours until a skewer comes out clean; mine took 2 1/2 hours. Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack then turn it out and brush all over with rum or brandy.
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Wrap the cake up in baking parchment then tin foil (it MUST be completely cold first), and store in an airtight container, feeding every week or two with rum or brandy, for up to three months.
Recipe Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- The dried fruit needs to be soaked at least overnight so do make sure that you start this cake the day before you want to bake it. The fruit can be left to soak for up to a week – I gave mine three days.
- You can vary the types of dried fruit that you add to suit your own tastes (I know quite a few mixed peel haters!), as long as you keep the same overall weight – a total of 660g. Chopped dried dates, figs and apricots all work well, and you could even add dried cherries, blueberries or pineapple.
- I have successfully stored this cake for three months, feeding it with a little rum every week or two. It is a little more delicate than non-vegan fruitcake so be very gentle with it and store it in a tin so as not to squash it.
- I adapted this recipe by The Hungry Veggie to make this cake, with tweaks to suit my tastes: http://thehungryvegan.blogspot.com/2011/12/vegan-christmas-cake.html
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