Makes: One 18cm cake or six individual ones
- 400g mixed dried fruit
- 300ml dry cider or apple juice
- 225g stoned whole dates
- 1 tbsp mixed spice
- 2 tbsp Bonne Maman Apricot, Mirabelle Plum or Fig Conserve
- 1 large ripe banana
- Finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
- 120g fine polenta
- 2 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free baking powder if wished)
- 5 tbsp chilled aquafaba (the liquid from tinned chickpeas)
- 2 tbsp brandy or dry sherry, optional
Put the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl and pour in 100ml of the cider or apple juice. Leave to soak overnight.
Heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4. Line an 18cm round, 10cm deep cake tin or 6 small 220g baked bean tins with baking parchment.
Put the dates, spice, conserve and remaining 200ml cider or apple juice into a saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool.
In a blender or processor, puree the date mixture with the banana. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the citrus zest, soaked dried fruit, polenta and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, whisk the aquafaba into soft peaks and fold into the fruit mixture. Spoon into lined cake tins.
Bake for 25-30 minutes for individual cakes or 45-50 minutes for a large one, covering with foil after 30 minutes. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean when it’s cooked.
Drizzle the brandy or sherry over the hot cake, if using, then leave to cool in the tin. The cooked cakes keep well, wrapped in clingfilm and foil, in an airtight tin for up to 3 days, or can be frozen undecorated.
How to decorate
- If making a large cake, sandwich the two large cakes together with extra conserve.
- Roll out 300g white fondant icing (check the label as not all are vegan) and, using the cake tins as a template, cut a curving line about 3cm from the edge of the large tin or small tins, whichever you used.
- Brush the top of the cake with a little extra conserve and cover the top with the fondant icing.
- Roll 50g red fondant icing (again check the label) into one large or 6 small red ‘noses’ and press onto the middle of the cake/s.
To make the antlers
- 25g sunflower spread
- 25g Demerara sugar
- 50g Golden Syrup or molasses
- ½ tsp mixed spice
- ½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda (or use gluten-free baking powder if wished)
- 1 tsp milled flaxseeds soaked in 1 tbsp water for 5 minutes
- 125 g plain flour
- Put the spread into a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the sugar, syrup and spice and bring to the boil. Add the bicarbonate of soda (it will puff up) and pour the hot mixture over the spread. Stir until the spread has melted.
- Beat in the flaxseed mix and slowly blend in the flour. It will look as though there is too much flour but it will blend in.
- Knead the dough in the bowl until smooth. Roll the dough out between two sheets of baking parchment, to about 3mm thickness.
- Lift the rolled dough, still on its parchment and put on a baking sheet. Chill for 1 hour. Cut out the outline of 2 large or 12 small antlers. Lift off excess dough.
- Bake at 170c, 150c fan, gas mark 3 until golden and crisp – approximately 7–12 minutes depending on their size.
- Cool on a wire rack and when cold, attach a long wooden skewer or cocktail stick to the back of each antler with strong tape and push into the cake either side of the nose. Decorate with red gingham ribbon and bells – and write your gift cards.
Cook’s tip: For a faster alternative, use stiff brown card for the antlers.
Recipe created by www.bonnemaman.co.uk