Are you tired of missing out on homemade Christmas cake because you need a gluten-free recipe? I can help! Based on my Grandmother-in-Law’s traditional Old-Fashioned British Christmas Cake recipe, my easy Gluten-Free Christmas Cake recipe is moist, delicious and full of seasonal flavours.
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This is one of my favourite Christmas cakes ever. I have even known people who don’t like Christmas cake to ask for seconds (and thirds!).
When I adapted the recipe, I made it much more flexible and adaptable to individual tastes. Using mixed dried fruit means you can choose whatever fruit mixture you like. For example, I can get my favourite dried fruit mixture with chopped apricots and cranberries at our local grocery store. Equally, if you do not like a particular dried fruit, say raisins, you can substitute an equal amount of another dried fruit like currants.
What is Mixed Spice?
Mixed Spice is a popular spice blend in the UK, traditionally used to season baked goods and savoury dishes. If you cannot find it in the grocery store, check out my Mixed Spice Blend recipe here.
Tips for Making Gluten Free Christmas Cake
Soak the dried fruit for at least a few hours
Alcohol adds a huge amount of flavour to the cake. You will get the best results if you soak the dried fruit for in rum, brandy or whatever liquor you are using for a few hours before making the cake (ideally overnight).
Bring ingredients to room temperature
Bring the butter and eggs out of the fridge an hour or two before making the cake so that the butter is really soft before you start and the eggs are less likely to curdle when you put them in the batter. (Don’t panic if this happens. It won’t affect the finished cake.)
Use a high quality cake tin
If your cake tin is really old or worn, this will affect the baking time and may make it difficult for you to remove your cake from the tin. It’s worth investing in a new cake tin from time to time, especially as more modern pans often conduct heat better making for a more even bake. Using a springform pan can make removing the cake from the pan much easier. This is the pan I use.
Keep your eyes on the cake!
Remember, cooking times are a guide. Baking pan density varies as do oven temperatures. Gluten-free Christmas cake batter is dense, meaning it needs lower heat for a longer time. It’s important to keep an eye on any baking, particularly when making a new recipe. The cake is done when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Make your Gluten-Free Christmas Cake early
Fruit cakes need time to age. You should ‘feed’ your cake with the same rum, brandy or whatever liquor you use to soak the fruit about every 10 days. If you are going to frost your cake, wait until a week or less before serving.
How To Feed Your Christmas Cake
Simply poke a few holes in the top of the cake with a skewer and drizzle one to two tablespoons of your chosen liquor over the top. Do not soak the cake! You just want to flavour it, not make it squidgy. Leave the cake for about half an hour and then return it to its sealed container or re-wrap in aluminium foil to keep it from drying out.
How To Decorate Your Gluten-Free Christmas Cake
This cake tastes lovely plain, but it is traditional to cover and ice fruitcake at Christmas. However it is totally up to you! I like to keep things simple and just cover the cake with store-bought marzipan and royal icing.
To begin, unwrap the cake and carefully place it on a serving plate.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the marzipan between sheets of greaseproof paper in a circle large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of apricot jam over very low heat, until is is runny and spreadable.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the top and sides of the cake with apricot jam.
- Carefully place the marzipan over the top of the cake, gently working it down over the sides. Some people wrap the marzipan and icing round the bottom of the cake. However, I prefer to simply wrap it right down to the bottom of the sides and trim round the bottom edges.
- If you can leave the cake overnight at this point (loosely wrapped), it can make it easier to apply the royal icing. If time is short, you can cover the cake with marzipan and icing at the same time.
- Using a rolling pin, roll the ready roll icing between sheets of greaseproof paper into a circle large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake.
- Carefully roll the royal icing over the top of the cake, gently working it down over the sides. Some people wrap the marzipan and icing round the bottom of the cake. However, I prefer to simply wrap it right down to the bottom of the sides and trim round the bottom edges.
- I then lightly press a patterned rolling pin in the top and sides of the cake to make a pattern.
If you fancy more ornate decorations, BBC Good Food have some fabulous ideas.
How Long Does Gluten-Free Christmas Cake Keep?
Kept in a sealed container, Christmas cake without icing will keep for several weeks at room temperature. Once the cake is iced and/or decorated, you should eat it within a week or so. Do not refrigerate the cake as it is likely to dry out.
Christmas cake without icing can be frozen, although it keeps so well I rarely do this.
Gluten-Free Christmas Cake – Printable Recipe
Gluten-Free Christmas Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups mixed dried fruit Be sure the mixture includes dried fruits you like in fairly small pieces (raisin size).
- 1⅓ cups sultanas You can substitute extra raisins or currants.
- ¾ cup raisins
- ¾ cup mixed peel Measure this as a scant cup if using cup measures. Mixed peel is also known as candied peel.
- ¾ cup glacé cherries, halved Measure this as a scant cup if using cup measures. Please do not use maraschino cherries.
- 1 cup white rum You can also use any other gluten-free alcohol of your choice - dark rum, Cointreau, whiskey or brandy.
- 3 tablespoons chopped almonds That is about 3 tablespoons.
- 4 tablespoons ground almonds Ground almonds are also known as almond flour. Use 4 generous tablespoons.
- 1½ cups + 1 tablespoon 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder Do not use drinking chocolate.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Mixed Spice I use 2 generous teaspoons.
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened Plus extra for greasing the pan.
- 4 eggs, beaten together
- 1½ cups soft brown sugar If using cups, the brown sugar should be firmly packed.
- 1 lemon, grated rind only
Instructions
- About 24 hours before making the cake, or at least the night before, combine the mixed dried fruit, sultanans, raisins, mixed peel and glacé cherries in a large bowl.
- Pour the rum, whiskey or brandy over the top. Cover and set aside. Give the mixture a stir every few hours if you think of it.
- The following day, to make the cake, preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C or 150°C for fan ovens).
- Grease the cake pan with butter and line with baking parchment.
- Stir the chopped almonds and the ground almonds into the dried fruit mixture. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and mixed spice together into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together in the large bowl of an electric mixer or use a large bowl and a wooden spoon to cream the ingredients by hand.
- Add the lemon rind to the butter and brown sugar mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the eggs to the butter and brown sugar mixture, one at a time, beating after each addition. If mixing by hand, break all four eggs into a medium bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Then add to the cake mixture a bit at a time, beating after each addition. (The mixture may curdle a little at this point. Don't worry, all will be well.)
- Add the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture a bit at a time, beating after each addition until well blended.
- Fold in the dried fruit and nut mixture, adding any alcohol remaining in the bowl as well.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth over the surface, making a slight hollow in the centre so it will rise evenly.
- Bake at 325°F (165°C or 150°C for fan ovens) for 45 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C or 140°C for fan ovens) nd bake for a further 20 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Watch the cake carefully while it is baking. It may take less or more time to bake. It is done when a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- When the cake is done, remove the cake tin from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 2 hours.
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan.
- Cool the cake for another hour or until it reaches room temperature. After the cake is completely cool, store it in a domed cake plate, a sealed container, or wrap carefully in aluminium foil.
- Keep the cake in a cool, dry place and 'feed' it with about every ten days. Poke the cake with a skewer and drizzle one to two tablespoons of the liquor you used to soak the fruit over the cake.
- A few days before serving, you can cover and ice or frost the cake if you wish. Please see the notes in the blog post for instructions on how to do this.
Notes
Serve the Christmas cake in slices, with a cup of tea or coffee. Merry Christmas!
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