Tag: gluten-free

Growing up on the beautiful island of Jamaica, there are two staple items needed in every household to truly feel and embrace the spirit of Christmas, namely: sorrel and Christmas (fruit) cake. Over the years, I along with my tastebuds have had the distinguished honor of testing all different types of Christmas (fruit) cakes, some great and some not so great.

It would be remiss of me to not give true credit to those who have had a profound impact on my cake baking skills. There are four distinguished Christmas cake experts in my life (Aunty Ruth, Aunt Dorrett, Charisse and Vivian). Each of these amazing ladies have given me the trade secrets on how to get this cake just right, and I am happy to report that using the secrets shared by each of them, I have achieved what my husband has now coined as Christmas(Fruit) cake perfection.

Since I am getting older now, (though I hate to admit it) and there are emerging concerns about my health, I now have to resort to healthier choices, even during the holidays. The expertise gleaned from my cake experts along with my venturesome habits have led me to experiment with gluten-free, vegan and sugar-free products. I am happy to report that my recent experiment turned out to be a huge success.

Before I share the recipe it is important for me to share a very important piece of information with you. For Christmas cakes to meet my personal standard of perfection, it has to have three very important elements: the texture, the taste and the color. The right texture for me is one that is soft and moist. The right taste for me is the perfect blend of the fruits, wine and sweetness (most people get this part very wrong) and the perfect color for me is dark brown (almost to the point of being black).

So now that we’ve established that there is a right way and a wrong way to make these cakes based on texture, taste and color, lets further share some important best practices on how to get it right the first time around.

Texture

When a black cake is not done right, this will result in the cake texture being very tight or as some would call it “puddiny”. For me this kind of texture is less than ideal. Usually this texture is as a result of over-mixing the batter or applying the wrong folding methods which causes the batter to be tight. My perfect folding patter is to bring the wooden spoon down through the middle and continue into a circle while bringing the bottom of the mixture to the top.

The other problem with the texture is that it can be too dry if the oven is turned up too high too soon. The best way to avoid this is by starting low (I start as low as 270 and move up by 50 degrees every 45 minutes) and progressively add more heat as time goes by. This will reduce the possibility of your cake turning up with bitter and dry especially around the edges.

Taste

Fruitcakes are meant to taste sweet. The best way to know if a black cake was not well done, is if there is an overwhelming taste of any one ingredient. Sometimes, people overdo-it on the wrong fruits. Mixed peel fruits for example should be subtle (otherwise the cake will taste like an easter bun), and no one set of fruits should outshine the other. Another way to judge the taste is whether or not their is a bitter after taste. If this is the case, you want to either check the browning or the length of time the cake was exposed to an excessive amount of heat. These can all play a role in the cake tasting less than desirable.

Color

Let’s face it, Christmas/black cake should look dark brown or black. Any color that is too light for me is an indication that the right amount of fruits or browning was not included. This will almost inevitably result in the cake tasting bitter or undesirable. Using the measurements in this recipe will help you to not only achieve the right color but you will also achieve the right taste and texture as well.

For this recipe I have included links as well as substitutes that may be used. Please feel free to go ahead and click the links.

Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar Free Christmas Cake (Fruit or Black Cake) Recipe

1 Cup Raisins

1 Cup Prunes

1 Cup Cherries

1 Cup Currants

2 Cups Port Wine 

½ Cup of Rum (may substitute rum and wine with grape juice but it won’t taste the same)

½ Cup Dry Sherry Wine

1 Cup of Gluten-free All-purpose Flour (King Arthur Baking Company)

1 Cup of Vegan Butter (Earth Balance Original)

1 Cup of Cane Sugar Replacement (Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetner)

1 Cup of VeganEgg ( Follow your Heart Egg Substitute) Or EnerGy Egg Relacer

½ Tbs of salt

½ Tbs of Baking Powder

2 Tbs of Vanilla Extract

½ Tsp of Lemon Zest

¼ Cup of Browning

1 Tbs of Cinnamon

½ tbs of Nutmeg

Steps:

1. Place fruits, wine and rum (Concord grape juice) in a pot and boil until the fruit fully absorbs the liquid (please note that alcohol evaporates when heated). You will know when this has taken place after fruits have swollen. Set aside the fruits to cool for approximately 2-3 hours. 
2. After fruits are cooled, blend fruit and wine together into a paste like substance pictured above. 
3. In a separate bowl combine gluten-free flour (after sifting), baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg
4. Combine Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetner and Vegan Butter in the main mixing bowl and mix until it is creamy and soft
5. Follow instructions based on the package to create the correct amount of egg replacement. 
6. Place egg replacement mixture in the main mixing bowl with vegan butter and sugar replacement
7. Add salt, browning, vanilla extract and lemon zest to the mixture
8. Use mixer on medium to blend all the ingredients together
9. Add ½ cup of blended fruits to the mixture and use a wooden spoon to fold until perfectly blended
10. Add ½ cup of spiced flour to the mixture and fold until perfectly blended
11. Repeat steps 9-10 until all the ingredients have been used up. 

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 270 Degrees
2. Place cake in oven and bake for 45 minutes then keep adding 50 degrees until desired baking texture has been achieved. 
3. If you place a knife or other sharp-edged utensil in the center of the cake it should come up without any residue, this is an indication that the cake has been thoroughly baked. 

I sure hope you will enjoy baking this as much as I did. This cake was perfect for me in every way and I hope it will be the same for you. Please feel free to share with me your success stories.

Author: Chauna-Kaye Pottinger