Best Gluten-free Christmas Cake

My Simple Spelt fruit cake transformed into the best gluten-free Christmas Cake. This gluten-free Christmas fruit cake recipe is made with a combination of buckwheat, ground almonds, dried fruit, pineapple, brown sugar, butter, spice, baking powder and baking soda. It is super moist and an alcohol-free Christmas cake recipe.  Don't worry it is still super moist, due to the crushed pineapple added to the fruit mixture. If you prefer a dash or two of alcohol add 1-2 tablespoons after the fruit is cooked.

If you don't have access to buckwheat flour then swap out for gluten-free flour or your gluten-free flour combination like tapioca, oat flour or rice flour.

Make this Christmas Cake a week before you need it as the cake stay moist for week's wrapped in a sealed container.

Why not bake this cake for a loved one as a homemade baking gift? Looking for an easy homemade alternative to a Gluten-free store-bought Christmas pudding then try this easy one-pot Gluten-free Christmas Cake recipe.

This cake is perfect served warm with custard or ice cream instead of a Christmas pudding.

Takes = 20 minutes (or prepare the fruit the night before)
Bakes = 1.35 hours
Makes = 20 serves in a 23cm (9 inch) cake tin or 20cm (8 inch)
Equipment = large bowl, medium saucepan and 23cm (9 inch) spring form cake tin + baking paper

Ingredients

• Dried fruit* – 500g (about 2 cups depending on your fruit)
• Crushed pineapple – 440g can
• Light Brown Sugar – 90g (about 1/2 cup packed)
• Caster Sugar – 100g (about 1/2 cup)*I forgot this in my video tutorial
• Unsalted chopped butter – 125g (about 1/2 cup)
• Large eggs (beaten) – 2
• Buckwheat flour (or your choice) – 180g
• Ground Almonds – 70g
• Baking powder – 2 tsp
• Bicarbonate of soda – 1 tsp
• Mixed spice – 1 tsp
• Ground cinnamon – 1tsp
  *I use a combination of raisins, cranberries, sultanas, currants and chopped dried figs

Method

Step 1
PREHEAT oven 180˚C, 160˚C fan. Grease with butter and paper line the cake tin 23cm (9 inch)

Step 2
ADD all dried fruit, pineapple, unsalted butter, brown sugar, caster sugar and spices in a saucepan and bring to boil then simmer for about 5 minutes then add in the bicarbonate of soda. Allow to cool for 10 minutes

Step 3
ADD in beaten eggs and sifted flour and baking powder over the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined.

Step 4
POUR into your cake tin and bake for 40 minutes, then remove and cover the cake with foil to ensure the top of your cake doesn't burn. Bake for again for 40 minutes (if you are baking it in a 20cm (8inch) tin then the time may take slightly longer). Check with a skewer that the cake it cooked in the centre before removing. Allow to cool before serving. Then store the cake wrapped in foil or brown paper in a sealed container for 7-10 days (we keep ours even slightly longer and it is still delicious). Freeze for 2-3 months.

Sue Maree P Baking Tips

• Vegan – swap out eggs for 2 x flax eggs, and use dairy free butter
• Flour – Add gluten-free flour to replace buckwheat flour if preferred
• Sugars – add coconut sugar or natural sweeteners instead
  NB. I haven't tested these suggestions yet
• Glaze – if like in my video you'd like to cut back on sugar, but still want a shiny top, add 100g caster to 1/4 cup of water, boil for 5 minutes until thick then brush it on the cake after baked. You could poke holes in the top to let a little of the sugar syrup soak in. I did this by mistake in my video, but it worked out fine.