By Shireen Jamooji
December 5th, 2023
If you’ve opted to follow a vegan diet for health or personal reasons, then Christmas is a difficult time to navigate. With this vegan recipe, you can indulge in the rich flavours of Christmas cake, without any dairy products.
350g mixed dried fruit 100g chopped dates 150ml unsweetened apple juice 200g self-raising flour 100g ground almonds 1 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp cinnamon 150g dark brown sugar 150ml vegetable oil Zest of 1 orange Zest of 1 lemon 1 tbsp black treacle 1 tbsp flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tbsp water 50g chopped nuts Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
Preheat your oven to 150°C and grease and line an 8-inch round cake tin with parchment paper.
In a saucepan, combine the mixed dried fruit, chopped dates, and apple juice. Simmer gently over low heat for 5-7 minutes until the fruit is plump. Allow it to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the self-raising flour, ground almonds, mixed spice, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, orange zest, lemon zest, black treacle, and flaxseed meal mixture.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until well combined. Fold in the cooled fruit mixture and chopped nuts in the cake tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.