Special Occasion Cakes Recipes - Egg less Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 75g/1/2 cup sultanas

• 75g/1/2 cup raisins

• 75g/1/2 cup currants

• 75g/1/2 cup glace cherries, halved

• 50g/1/4 cup mixed peel

• 250ml/1 cup apple juice

• 25g/1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts

• 30ml/2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 2 pieces stem ginger in syrup, chopped

• finely grated rind of 1 lemon

• 120ml/1/2 cup milk

• 50ml/1/4 cup sunflower oil

• 225g/2 cups whole meal self-raising flour

• 10ml/2 tsp mixed spice

• 45ml/3 tbsp brandy or dark rum

• apricot jam, for brushing

• glace fruits, to decorate

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Method:

1. Soak the sultanas, raisins, currants, cherries and mixed peel in the apple juice overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Grease and line an 18cm/7in square cake tin.

3. Add the hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, ginger and lemon rind to the fruit. Stir in the milk and oil. Sift the flour and spice, then stir in with the brandy or rum.

4. Spoon into the cake tin and bake for about 1/ 1/2 hours, or until the cake is golden brown and firm to the touch.

5. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Brush with sieved apricot jam and decorate with glace fruits.