Gluten Free Christmas Cake Recipe

Dry ingredients

1 Cup / 140g Rice flour
1/2 Cup / 70g Cornmeal flour (fine polenta)
1/2 Cup / 70g Cornflour (corn starch)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 + 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1 Tbsp Xanthan gum
1/2 Cup / 100g Ground almonds
3 Tbsp Ground flax seeds


Fruit ingredients

1 Cup / 160g Jumbo raisins
1 Cup / 160g Raisins
1/2 Cup / 80g Sultanas
14 Glazed cherries (halved)
1/4 Cup / 80g Chopped dates

1 Tbsp Candied peel
1/2 Cup / 125ml Dark rum
1/4 Cup / 60ml Brandy
350ml Hot water
1 Tbsp Vanilla essence
1 Clementine zest
6 Pitted dates (chopped)

Other ingredients

3 Medium eggs (whisked)
1/2 Cup / 80g Margarine
2 Tbsp Rice bran oil
1/2 Cup / 100g Soft light brown sugar
1/2 Cup / 100g Soft light brown sugar
1/2 Cup / 100g Soft dark brown sugar

For the topping

Apricot conserve/jam

Marzipan

1/2 Cup / 100g Ground almonds
1 Tbsp Maple syrup
Water

Frosting

2 Cups / 200g Powdered sugar
2 tsp Margarine (softened)
6 tsp WaterHow to make a gluten free Christmas cake

Place all the fruit into a bowl, pour in the brandy, rum, hot water and vanilla, stir and leave to soak.

Place all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add the 2 tablespoons of oil and margarine, rub into the flours.

Add 1/2 Cup light sugar and 1/2 cup of dark sugar, mix well.

Drain the soaked fruit and keep the water to the side.

Add the fruit to the flours mixture and lightly stir.

Add the eggs and six tablespoons of the water drained from the fruit.

Mix well.

Add 1/2 cup of light brown sugar, mix well again.

Grease and flour an 8 inch cake tin.

Pour the gluten free fruit cake batter into the cake tin and cook in a hot oven at gas mark 6 / 200C for 30 minutes.

Do not open the door until 30 minutes is over.

Turn the oven down to gas mark 4 / 180C and bake for 60 minutes until a skewer comes clean out of the middle.

Leave the cake to cool in the cake tin, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Place cake onto a cake board and spread the apricot conserve over the top of the cake only.

Place the marzipan ingredients into asmall bowl and mix thoroughly.

Spread onto the top of the christmas cake only.

Sieve the powdered sugar into a new bowl, make a little well in the centre and add the wet ingredients, mix well. Add 1/4 tsp of water at a time if the frosting needs a little more moisture.

Pour the frosting into the centre of the cake and lightly spread out wards.

Do not spread it on the sides only the top of the cake needs frosting.

Add the paper border or ribbon.

Decorate the top of the cake as desired.

This cake is best eaten the day after baking.