It's not too late to bake your Christmas cake and puddings. Angela Day includes options for those with dietary restrictions.
On the menu:
Diabetic fruit cake
Traditional Christmas cake
Flourless fruit cake
Cheat's Christmas pudding
Gluten-free fruit cake
DIABETIC FRUITCAKE
Makes 1x20cm cake
500g fruitcake mix
150g glace cherries, well rinsed and halved
125ml brandy
60g butter, melted
4 eggs
180ml apple sauce
160g diabetic berry jam
80ml xylitol
250ml cake flour
10ml baking powder
5ml mixed spice
5ml ground cinnamon
2ml salt
125ml nutty wheat flour
125ml ground almonds
whole blanched almonds for decoration
Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin.
Secure double newspaper or brown paper around the outside with string, so that the cake is well protected from too much direct heat.
Combine the fruit , cherries and brandy and leave to soak for a few hours or overnight.
Beat together the butter, eggs, apple sauce, jam and xylitol until well blended.
Sift the cake flour, baking powder, spices and salt and combine with the nutty wheat flour.
Add to the eggs.
Mix in the soaked fruit and ground almonds until well blended.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Press the blanched almonds into the mixture.
Bake at 150C for an hour, then cover with foil and bake for another 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove and cool in the tin. Store wrapped in foil in an airtight container.
Pour a little brandy over it every week until Christmas.
TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS CAKE
Makes 1x20cm cake
250g butter, softened
300ml sugar
5 extra-large eggs
500ml flour
5ml ground cinnamon
3ml ground mixed spice
3ml nutmeg
2ml salt
5ml bicarbonate of soda
60ml brandy
1kg fruitcake mix
100g candied peel
250ml ground almonds
200g glace cherries, rinsed and halved
Grease and line the inside of a deep 20cm-square cake pan with baking paper.
Secure double newspaper or brown paper around the outside with string, so cake is well protected from too much direct heat. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and creamy.
Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, spices, salt and bicarb, and add to the creamed mixture with the brandy.
Stir in the fruit, candied peel and almonds. Fold in the cherries.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the cake pan and smooth the surface.
Bake at 150C for 1-2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the pan.
Once cool, remove from pan and wrap in foil. Store in an airtight container.
Pour over brandy occasionally to keep moist.
FLOURLESS FRUITCAKE
500g fruitcake mix
100g cherries, rinsed and halved
125ml brandy
180g butter
180ml xylitol
4 eggs
100g whole almonds, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
500ml almond flour
250ml coconut flour
60ml psyllium husks
10ml baking powder
10ml mixed spice
extra almonds for decoration
Combine the fruit, cherries and brandy and set aside for an hour.
Cream the butter and xylitol. Add the eggs and beat. Mix in the fruit and nuts.
Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, psyllium husks, baking powder and spice. Add this to the creamed mixture.
Spoon into a 20cm tin which has been lined with baking paper. Arrange almonds on top for decoration.
Wrap some newspaper around the side of the tin and secure with string.
Bake at 160C for about 1½ hours or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
During baking, if the top starts getting too dark, cover with foil.
Remove and cool in the tin.
* This cake is crumbly to cut.
CHEAT'S CHRISTMAS PUDDING
Serve 8-10
150g butter
160ml brown sugar
2 eggs
500ml self-raising flour
10ml mixed spice
60ml brandy
400g jar of fruit mince
100g mixed glace cherries, halved
125g currants
50g nibbed almonds
Preheat the oven to 160C.
Cream the butter and sugar well. Add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and spices and add to the creamed mixture with the brandy. Mix in the fruit mince.
Add the cherries, currants and almonds and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into a well-greased and base-lined 2â??litre pudding basin. Cover the top with a piece of non-stick baking paper, secured with string. Cover tightly with foil.
Place the basin in a roasting pan and fill the pan with hot water. Cover the entire pan including the pudding bowl with foil.
Place in the oven and bake for 2-3 hours. Remove when a skewer inserted into the centre of the pudding comes out clean.
Turn the pudding onto a serving plate and serve with custard or cream.
GLUTEN-FREE FRUITCAKE
Makes 1x20cm cake
500g fruitcake mix
125ml dried cranberries, roughly chopped
150ml port
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
250ml fine polenta
375ml gluten-free cake flour
7ml baking powder
5ml xanthan gum
10ml mixed spice
5ml ground cinnamon
2ml salt
150g butter
180ml brown sugar
3 eggs
125ml ground almonds
30ml milk
100g glace cherries, rinsed and halved
125ml flaked almonds
15ml molasses
15ml honey
Combine the fruit mix, cranberries, port, lemon rind and juice in a pot and heat for 5 minutes on medium.
Remove and cover, then set aside overnight.
Line the base and sides of a 20cm cake tin. Secure double newspaper or brown paper around the outside with string, so the cake is well protected from too much direct heat.
Sift the polenta, flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, spices and salt.
Cream the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs and mix well.
Stir in the soaked fruit, ground almonds, milk, cherries and flaked almonds.
Add the molasses and honey.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake at 160C for 1-2 hours until cooked and a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool in the tin. Pour over some brandy. Remove from the tin, wrap in foil and store in an airtight container.
If you plan to keep the cake until Christmas, then pour a little warmed brandy over it every week.
The Angela Day cookery column is published in The Star, the Cape Argus, the Daily News and the Pretoria News.