Jan's Christmas Cake

 

I don't know Jan - Jan is Linda's mum. Linda used to love eating her mum's Christmas cake but like so many of you once you realise you can't eat wheat those special treats are off limits. Linda entered one of my Facebook competitions with this comment on what she would bake if she won some Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. 

My mum's Christmas cake but converted to gluten free! That would be awesome!

Linda didn't win any flour (this time) but here is my version of her mum's fruitcake. Original recipe is in white my amounts/additions are in blue. 

Ingredients

To Boil

175 g 1 Cup Dark brown sugar 

440 g can Crushed pineapple 

500 g Mixed fruit

100 - 120 g Glace cherries (quartered) 

75 g Mixed peel (I used 25 g)

50 g Ginger (finely diced or chopped) 

50 g Almonds (roughly chopped) 

75 g Brazil nuts or macadamia nuts (roughly chopped) 

1 tsp Powdered ginger 

1 tsp Mixed spice

2 tsp Cinnamon powder

1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

125 g Margarine

instead of margarine I used

100 g Butter +

200 g Oil

125 g Water

 

Bakers' Magic flour requires more fat/oil & water than wheat flour 

 

Other ingredients 

1 - 2 tsp Vanilla essence

1 tsp Lemon essence

1 tsp Orange essence (orange zest)

½ tsp Almond essence (omitted)

2 eggs

1 cup self-raising flour + 1 cup plain flour

I used 300 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

1/2 tsp Baking powder

1 pinch salt (1/2 - 1 tsp Salt)

¼ cup water (if needed – see note)

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.

 

After tasting the cake batter, it was delicious, I decided to put in 100 g Cointreau :). 

 

Method

Place all ingredients To Boil into a large saucepan. Bring to boil, boil 3 minutes, remove from heat, allow to become cold.

Add essences and well beaten eggs. Mix fours and salt together and fold into cold fruit mixture.

Note: This year, (2003) for the first time ever, I found I had to add ¼ cup water because the mixture was too dry. This could be because the drought has meant less moisture in flour, fruit and pineapple. It could also be because the size of the pineapple can has shrunk from 470 g to 440 g. If you are having trouble mixing flour and fruit, mixture is too dry. Sprinkle water over mixture and combine. If you are making more than one cake, and strike this problem with the first one, the best time to add water for subsequent cakes is with the essences and eggs.

Place mixture into greased and lined deep 20 cm round or square cake tin.

Bake in a moderate oven approximately 1½ hours, reduce heat to moderately slow, bake further 20 to 30 minutes or until a skewer, inserted, comes out clean. I baked the cake at 170 C for 1 1/4 hours then reduced the oven to 130 and baked for another 45 mins. If you have a hot oven bake it at 160 C for 1 1/2 then reduce the oven to 130. 

Simply enjoy!