Gluten Free Christmas Cake Recipes

GLUTEN-FREE CHRISTMAS CAKE RECIPE - BEST EVER! (DAIRY-FREE OPTION)

Steps:

• Measure out all of your dried fruit (as I mentioned above you can change up what you use depending on what you have and based on personal preference). Ensure that any larger chunks of dried fruit are finely chopped - dried cherries especially, if using. Place into a large bowl.
• Pour over your amaretto (or brandy) and the juice of a lemon. Stir in your lemon zest. Cover with cling film and allow the fruit to soak for as long as you can. I only left mine overnight and that was fine, but a few days would be great if you have time.
• Preheat your oven to 140C (NOT fan) If you only have a fan oven go for 115-120C Fan.
• Prepare a 20cm loose bottom, high sided circular tin (linked above and below). Preparing your tin is a little more involved for this cake as it's in the oven for SO long. Instead of explaining here, I will pop a link to a video that will help with this in the FAQ section above - it needs to be double lined and double wrapped around the outside too.
• Add all your cake ingredients (softened butter, sugar, eggs, treacle, mixed spice, gluten free flour, xanthan gum, ground almonds and chopped almonds to a bowl.) Mix with an electric mixer until fully combined.
• Gradually stir in all your soaked, dried fruit thoroughly, using a spatula or wooden spoon.
• Spoon your cake mix into your prepared tin, making sure its all nice and level.
• Cover the top of your cake with a square of baking paper with a hole in the middle of it (the hole helps with steam and the covering helps to prevent the cake from burning).
• Bake in the oven for around 4 hours - it will be a dark golden colour and fairly firm. If it needs longer, give it another 15 minutes or so.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin.
• Once cold, poke all over with a skewer until about half way down and spoon over a little extra amaretto (or brandy if preferred). Remove the cake from the tin.
• Wrap your cake in two layers of baking paper followed by two layers of kitchen foil. Store in an air tight container. If you are making this ahead of time, every few weeks you can feed the cake by pouring over a tbsp of alcohol. You can feed this every few weeks for 2-3 months.
• Remove the cake from its baking paper / foil wrapping and turn it upside down so that the flattest side is facing upwards. Spread all over with a thin layer of slightly warmed apricot jam.
• Dust your surface with icing sugar and briefly knead your marzipan until softer and more workable.
• Dust your surface again and your rolling pin too. Roll out your marzipan to a large circle, around 4mm thick.
• Use your rolling pin to lift up the marzipan and cover your cake with it. Carefully press it onto the top and down the sides so that it's lovely and smooth. Trim any excess marzipan left around the base using a sharp knife.
• Dust your surface once more with icing sugar and then roll out your white fondant icing. Roll out your white fondant icing to a large circle, around 4mm thick.
• Again, use your rolling pin to the lift up the icing and cover the cake with it. Trim any excess you might have.
• Decorate the cake however you wish with edible or non edible (ribbons, figures) decorations. I used a little red and green fondant to make holly leaves and berries - to help them stick I wet the surface of the cake and gently pressed them into place. I'd recommend buying holly leaf cutters to make this nice and simple - I've linked these in the FAQ section above.

GLUTEN-FREE CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• The day before you want to bake the cake, combine the raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed candied peel, glacé cherries, orange juice and 100ml brandy in a large bowl. Cover and leave to soak overnight.
• Butter a deep 20cm round cake tin, and line the base and side with baking parchment. Beat the margarine, sugar, treacle and orange zest together in a large bowl using an electric whisk until smooth and fluffy. Gradually whisk in the milk and vinegar (the mixture will split at this point, but will come back together when the dry ingredients are added, so don't worry). Mix the flour, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice and cinnamon together in a second large bowl. Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry until smooth. Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
• Fold the soaked fruit into the cake mixture until combined, then spoon into the tin and level the top with the back of a spoon. Bake for 45 mins, then reduce the heat to 140C/120C fan/gas 1 and bake for a further 2-3 hrs until the cake is deeply golden and firm to the touch (cover the top of the cake with foil if it starts to darken too much). The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake using a skewer, then spoon over 4 tbsp brandy and leave to cool in the tin for 1 hr. Transfer to a wire rack, remove the parchment and leave to cool completely. When the cake is cold, wrap in a layer of baking parchment, then a layer of foil before storing. Will keep in a dry, cool cupboard for up to three months, or in the freezer for up to six months.

GLUTEN-FREE CHRISTMAS CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the dried fruit in a bowl with the brandy or orange juice and leave to soak for 2 hrs or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Grease an 18cm round deep cake tin and line the base and sides with a double thickness of baking paper.
• Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little of the flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Add the soaked fruit, orange zest, almonds, cherries and vanilla extract.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and spices and fold into the mixture with the milk. Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
• Bake for 1½-1¾ hrs until golden, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 15 mins then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Finally, ice your Christmas cake with apricot jam, white sugar paste and marzipan.