Christmas pudding flavored cake (microwave or tray-bake)

OK, I admit this is a bit of a cheat.....
This is basically the carrot and courgette cake with a Xmas twist

Who can eat it?

This recipe is gluten and wheat free, dairy free, egg free and nut free. It is suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs and anyone in need of a Xmas flavored pudding in a flash!

Who can't eat it?

It's cake and therefor not suitable for those needing a reducing diet however I have tried to keep the sugar content low and I think it would probably work OK if some of the sugar was substituted with a powdered sugar substitute. This recipe is rather high in fibre so it may not be suitable for those with Crohn's, colitis or IBS but it will depend on their condition at the time.

For the individual 'Xmas pudding' 

(scroll down for the tray-bake)

Dry mix 1/4 cup of rice flour 2 tablespoons of sugar (white or light brown) 1/8th teaspoon of cinnamon  1/4er teaspoon of mixed spice (or pumpkin pie spice if you are in the US) 1/4er teaspoon of GLUTEN FREE baking powder 1/8th baking soda/sodium bicarbonate 1 large pinch of salt
Wet mix
Half a small, finely grated carrot and  a small, finely grated apple which together should make 1/4 of a cup if you compact it (don't lose any juice, it's tasty!)
2 finely chopped prunes 2 teaspoons of ground flax powder (yes I know this is technically dry but bare with me!) 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil 1/4 teaspoon of natural vanilla essence  1/4 teaspoon of cider vinegar (or 'white vinegar' if you don't have this)
1/2 teaspoon of 'gravy browning' liquid
1/2 a tablespoon of brandy 
1/2 a tablespoon of Cointreau 

A handful of raisins and a few dried cranberries.

Brush the inside of a small microwaveable pudding basin with oil.
Mix the dry together in one bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl. Now mix the wet and the dry together then add the raisins and cranberries and pop into your pudding basin. Slam the  whole lot into the microwave for about 2 minutes or until firm. Tip out onto a plate and low and behold you have your very quick Inclusive Xmas pudding!

The Tray Bake

You will need a 9inch by 13 inch tray, fully lined and brushed with oil. Gluten free cake sticks like crazy and with out oiling the paper it wont rise and will fall apart when you try to take the paper off.

Dry mix
2 cups of rice flour
1 cup of sugar (white or light brown)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 teaspoons of mixed spice (or pumpkin pie spice if you are in the US)
2 teaspoons of GLUTEN FREE baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda/sodium bicarbonate
1 teaspoon of salt
Wet mix
2 large carrots and 2 medium sized apples, finely grated. Together this should make 2 cups if you compact it (don't lose any juice, it's tasty!)  
5 finely chopped 'ready soaked' prunes 1/3 of a cup of ground flax powder (yes I know this is technically dry but bare with me!) 2/3rds of a cup of sunflower oil 2 teaspoons of natural vanilla essence    2 teaspoons of cider vinegar (or 'white vinegar' if you don't have this) Some water, between 1/2 and 1 cup full. 1/3rd of a cup of raisins - remember raisins are often coated with palm or coconut oil (which I'm allergic to) to make them shiny so if you are making this for me you'd better get organic ones unglazed of glazed in sunflower oil.
1/3 or a cup of dried cranberries
1 tablespoon of gravy browning
1 tablespoon of brandy
1 tablespoon of Cointreau
Heat your oven to gas mark 5 or 190 C

Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl. In a larger bowl mix your wet ingredients then add the dried mix and stir well. Add enough water to make the mixture like well watered (but not runny!) sand, about half a cup, may be less, it depends on how wet your apples were.

Pour it into the tray, and pop in the oven for about an hour.


 

Braised red cabbage

Xmas is quickly approaching and I'm well on the way to having my cupboards freezer loaded and ready to go with all lovely food I associate with this time of year. I'm going to try to do a few short blog posts on some of my favourites and some of the new recipes I've been working on.
This first one is braised red cabbage. It's a firm family favourite and every cook in my family has their own recipe. (Mine is very simple but I've included ideas for jazzing it up a bit lower down).

Who can eat it?

Anyone who likes red cabbage! It's naturally wheat and gluten free so suitable for most coeliacs. It's suitable for vegetarians and you can make it dairy free too so it's suitable for vegans. It's nut, egg and yeast free as well.

Who can't eat it?

It is a little high in fibre so may not be suitable for all sufferers of IBS or Crohns or colitis. It's also got plenty of sugar in (sorry!) so may not suit those on a reducing diet. If you need it to be dairy free please sub the butter for oil and add a table spoon of tomato puree. 

Ingredients

1 medium red cabbage, finely shredded and chopped to suitable lengths (with the stalk removed)

2 onions, chopped
2 large cooking apples, peeled and cored and chopped
2 tsp ground mixed spice
100g  brown sugar
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
25g butter (or a tablespoon of oil with a tablespoon of tomato puree)

Mix together the sugar and spice, then mix in the apples, add the red cabbage mix well and then place into your largest casserole dish. Pour over the vinegar and put the butter in knobs on top. If you are making a vegan version blend the oil and tomato puree and pour that over too. PUT ON THE LID! Pop it in the oven at gas mark 2/150C/300F for about 2 and a half hours. You can just forget about it over that time or you can give it a stir on the hour marks.

Ringing the changes

Fancy something a little different? Here are some ideas from recipe variation within my family

Add a couple of crushed cloves of garlic (I often do this)

Add some tomato puree (even if you are not vegan!) This makes it extra glossy.

Add some raisins and reduce the sugar a little.

Add some cranberries and increase the sugar a little.

Add a couple of tablespoons of red currant jelly or cranberry sauce to the vinegar.

Add the rind and juice of an orange.

Add a cup of cider or a small glass of sherry or red wine (but not all three!)
Add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce ('Life' do a nice vegan version)

Add extra salt and pepper before cooking.

Swap the mixed spice for a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg and quarter of a teaspoon of cloves and possibly a little star anise.

 

And for something REALLY different swap the onion for fennel and instead of the sugar and spice and butter, add (drum roll please) 3 tablespoons of yogurt or creme fraiche and 3 tablespoons of HORSE RADISH SAUCE!! I know, flavour to knock your socks off and possibly keep the rest of the family away until new year!!

A final note. 

One thing EVERYONE in my family agrees on is that this is nice fresh or cold but it's even better when it's reheated! I tend to freeze mine in smaller portions and defrost and reheat in the microwave as I need it.

"Here Comes the Science" or "Where is that vegan christmas cake recipe?"

A few posts ago I promised you I'd work out a vegan version of my Christmas Cake recipe. I've been trying, really I have, but in fact I haven't got even close to baking a trial run and here's why - I can't find a vegan shortening (baking fat) that I'm not allergic to. 

Trust me, I've tried. I've stood in various supermarkets reading the back of all the dairy-free margarines and fats, I've tried health food shops, pestered vegan experts, heck I even went across to the other side of a neighbouring city to pick the brains behind a wholefood warehouse and still no luck, every one of them seems to contain either coconut oil or palm oil or both. For the packets that just said 'vegetable oil' I've taken a note of the customer helpline and either phoned or emailed them to see what the fat might be. Most of the brands I've contacted have been very helpful only a couple declined to tell me if their products actually contained coconut or palm but even then they did tell me that "it is not suitable to your dietary needs".

When I come across a problem such as this I like to ponder on the science of it before I come up with an answer, if there is one. Sometimes I'm sure the word 'science' runs through me as surely as the words through a stick of rock. In fact science is my rock. So here is my theory......

First off you need to understand that different fats have different melting points, in fact a high melting point is pretty much the definition of a fat because if it's already melted at room temperature we tend to call it an oil. For example, sunflower oil turns from a solid into a liquid (melts) at about -17ºC where as butter melts at 35ºC, in fact the only natural vegetable oils which are still solid at room temperature are coconut and palm (though both melt at about 25ºC so your room better not be too hot!)

So could we alter any natural plant fats to make them melt at a higher temperature? Yes, we can take them through a process called hydrogenation, where hydrogen gas is forced through the oil under very high pressure. This adds hydrogen atoms to the fat molecules making them in effect heavier and so have a higher melting point. (I know it's actually more complex than this but I'm trying to avoid an A-level chemistry lesson here).  Furthermore it has the added advantage of stopping the fat from going off (rancid) so it stays fresher for longer. So why don't we see hydrogenated fats on supermarket shelves? Well you used to see a lot of it, then in the 1990's scientists began to notice that the more hydrogenated fat a person consumed the higher their cholesterol was. This is NOT a good thing, higher cholesterol of this type has been linked to weight gain, heart disease and diabetes. Most food companies are therefor trying to reduce the amount of hydrogenated fat in their products (sometimes they needed a little pressure from the government to do it though).

OK, so if I can't get a room temperature fat that works then how about using an oil? Lets look at what the fat does in baking. Fat carries flavour, it tenderises, it makes the food feel nice in our mouth and it gives that quintessential element called 'crumb'. But most of all we need fat in baking to help trap the air bubbles that stop our cakes being like 'dwarf-bread', more weapon than food. 
When we whisk the butter and add sugar the purpose of our whisking is to trap air. This is why you need the butter gently softened but not melting, in fact better to start with the butter too cold and keep whisking until it goes 'plastic' and starts to hold air than risk it completely melting under the heat of the beaters. Use an oil and it just wont trap any air, so swapping the butter for sunflower oil just isn't going to work and if you are going to use coconut or palm to do the job you'd better be cooking in a cool room (remember it melts at about 25ºC).

So to put it plainly I can't get a vegan alternative to butter that I'm not allergic to because unless you get something that's hydrogenated (and I think we are all agreed that that would be very bad for our health) it's going to contain either coconut or palm and much as I love you and cooking I'm not prepared to spend days in a darkened room suffering for it!

IF you really want to make a vegan version of my Christmas Cake here's what I suggest; replace the eggs with egg replacement powder which you can get from some pharmacies and plenty of health food shops then replace the butter with vegetable shortening (not vegetable margarine which wont trap enough air and contain too much water), if you've never used that before I suggest you look for Trex which is easily available in most supermarkets and can be used as a direct replacement (do not reduce the fat by 10% as it suggests on the packet, it is working as shortening not margarine). And don't forget to keep the room cold while you are whisking.

Fear not though, I can and do bake vegan cakes on a regular basis without the need for a diary-free margarine, I will treat you to the recipe for the chocolate one shortly.

So as one customer service agent said to me recently "thank you for your understanding". xxx

Mincemeat

This is the ideal recipe to follow the Christmas cake because if you are anything like me you have tonnes of dried fruit left over at this point (not to mention a fair bit of brandy).

It is vegan, vegetarian, nut free, gluten free and utterly delicious!

Ingredients

• 225g Bramley or other cooking apples, peeled and coarsely grated
• 125g candied peel, chopped
• 225g sultanas
• 225g raisins
• 225g currants
• 175g soft brown sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 orange, zest and juice (get an un-waxed organic one if you can)
• 150ml Brandy 
• 50ml Cointreau

It's almost laughable that I try to give you quantities for this because to be honest it is literally all the remains of my dried fruit plus a few extras. Make this recipe your own, tinker with it, change the proportions of Cointreau and brandy, add some ginger or some cranberries, anything goes!

Just put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Sterilise your jars (to be honest I use kiln jars straight out of the hottest wash on the dishwasher) then bung it up and leave it for a year. It is that simple.

You will notice the lack of suet or vegetable shortening this is simply because I have not been able to find one without palm in. I don't see the point of messing around with butter because a) I'm not sure it would keep as long and b) it tastes great just as it is. This is possibly because the fruit is already covered in plenty of sunflower oil (notice I didn't wash the fruit this time!)

Word of warning though, it is highly alcoholic, don't let drivers eat it raw and for kids always cook it on a high temperature and never leave them alone with a spoon and an open jar, big mistake...........

Christmas Cake Part 2 - Getting sticky!

The Autumn Half-term break is over. The girls and I had a lovely week crafting, pumpkin carving and most importantly baking the Christmas cake, but now they are safely back at school and I can get onto the computer and type without interruption.

Here's a reminder of the ingredients:

510g Currants

225g Raisins

225g Sultanas

120g Dried ('ready to eat') Prunes

120g Glace Cherries

20g of Candied peel OR 60g of Peel and 60g of Crystallised Stem Ginger

Zest of 1 Lemon

280g Gluten free flour (I use 140g of Dove farm Plain White Gluten Free and 140g of Doves Farm Rice flour)

half a level teaspoon of Xanthan gum (unless you are using a flour blend that already contains it) 

half a level teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, mixed spice and ground ginger

A pinch of salt

280g of dark soft brown sugar

6 fresh eggs (large)

265g Pure Salted Butter (Don't use 'spreadable butter')

1 tablespoon of Black Treacle

3 tablespoons of Brandy plus more later

3 tablespoons of Cointreau plus more later!



I'm going to break this recipe into two halves, making this cake is going to take a couple of hours plus four and a half hours to cook and you may not be lucky enough to get it all done in one go. Stage 1 can be done the day before and sealed in freezer bags before you get on with Stage 2 the next day.

Stage 1 -  It's all in the preparation.

Let's start with the raisins, sultana, currants and prunes. Get a clean washing up bowl and half fill it with cold water, put the dried fruit in and gently give it a swoosh about, this will help to remove the oils used in it's preparation and give you a chance to pick out any less than perfect specimens, in particular look out for stalks that have been left on. If your fruit is particularly oily you may need to strain off the water and repeat the process. I have been known to do the first rinse with the tiniest spot of washing up liquid if the fruit have been very oily or in the days when all the fruit had palm oil on it (it was either that or no cake). When you are happy that you've removed as much oil as possible tip the bowl into a colander in the sink and dry by gently pouring out over a clean tea towel and patting dry or alternatively stick it in the salad spinner.

Now the cake tin. Having selected your tin (9inch round or 8 inch square) you need to cover the outside in a double layer of brown paper. With a square tin put an extra layer on the corners to reduce the risk of burning. My round tin has a double layer base so I don't bother covering that, if yours doesn't you've got some tricky wrapping to do! I secure the paper with the string but you could use staples to hold it together, just be careful later on. Experience has also taught me that if you are careful not to get any mixture on the paper later on then you can use the brown paper case for a couple of years! You also need to make a 'lid' of brown paper to go on later, so turn the tin over and draw around it then cut it out.

It's a little known fact that gluten-free baking likes to stick like glory to the tin, I ALWAYS line the tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper that I've completely smeared in butter/margarine. All this extra padding will help your cake not to get burnt edges. I also cover the brown paper lid in greaseproof so that if it touches the mixture that doesn't stick either. However DON'T grease until baking day - you don't want it going rancid over night.

You are now going to need a large bowl however if you are doing stage one and two on the same day save your very largest bowl for the next bit assuming you don't have two exactly the same size! Use the smaller of your large bowls first, placing into it your washed fruit chopping the prunes into quarters as you go. Chop the cherries and add them, add the lemon zest too and your peel (or mixed peel and stem ginger). 

Onto the fruit sift your flour, salt, the spices and half a teaspoon of xanthum gum if your flour does not contain it. Gently mix until all the fruit is evenly covered. 


If you need to stop here then bag up the fruit into freezer bags and put your cake tin somewhere where the kids wont take the paper to draw on!

Stage 2 - Ready, steady, bake!

Heat your oven to gas mark 1 or 140 C and grease the paper in the tin.

Take your very largest bowl (mine is original Cornish ware inherited from my husband's Granny - I know you are jealous!!) and cream the butter and and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.

In a jug whisk together the eggs and the treacle (top tip on treacle, warm the spoon, wipe the smallest amount of oil across the inside and outside of spoon end and move quick!) then add this mixture slowly to the creamed mixture whisking all the way.

It is traditional at this point to let the kids lick the whisks, two very important points you should note, 1) eject them from the mixer first! 2) this mixture contains raw egg which isn't great for vulnerable people, especially small children or the elderly (I selflessly take the risk for them and lick them myself!!)

Now carefully fold in all the flour and fruit mixture then add one and a half tablespoons of brandy and one and a half tablespoons of Cointreau and stir gently. (My tablespoons here tend to be a bit 'whoops, that was a bit over', it all adds to the individual flavour!) The rest of the alcohol will be used after baking and is not intended to be consumed by the cook just yet!

Pour the mixture carefully into your well prepared tin and place in the middle of a preheated oven at gas mark 2 for a VERY long time. 

Now settle down with the kids and watch them lick the mixing bowl and spatulas clean!

After about 2 1/2 hours pop that lid over the top and if you're doing a square cake rotate the tin every half hour from here on. Keep baking until a skewer comes out clean which is ABOUT 4.5 hours however at such low temperatures this timing is VERY flexible and if you have a fan oven you may have to reduce this to 3.5 hours. (If you have the chance turn the fan off and throw an ice cube onto the floor of the oven every time you check the cake to keep the humidity up).

Once your cake has cooled spike the top over with a skewer and evenly pour on another one and a half tablespoons of Brandy and one and a half tablespoons of Cointreau. After this has soaked in remove the cake from the tin, peal off the greaseproof, wrap in a layer of clingfilm and place into an airtight tin or box. 

You should 'feed' the cake at least once more with the same amounts of brandy and Cointreau before you ice it. But for now put your feet up and relax, you've earned it!

Christmas Cake Part 1 - ingredients.

My daughters and I are getting ready to make the Christmas Cake next week. It is a bit of a mammoth task and frankly it would be much easier to do on my own but I really feel that in our family, or at least the sort family that my husband and I want to build, doing things together as a family is what Christmas is all about. And making the food together is as much "Inclusive Cooking" as eating it together is.

I have such happy memories of being able to help my own mum make our family cake. The smells, the arm aching mixing and the taste of licking the bowl afterwards evoke such strong and happy memories. Obviously I've had to adapt the recipe over the years as we discovered my allergy to nuts and my husband's gluten intolerance, so what I'm sharing with you is not my Mum's family recipe, it's my family recipe. Tried and tested and frankly bloomin' brilliant!

Who is it suitable for?

There are no nuts and no gluten, there is dairy and it does have egg, you could go with an 'egg replacement' powder mix if this is your allergy but this year I will trial a vegan version for you and let you know how I get on. My cake also contains plenty of alcohol (Napoleon brandy and Cointreau, which are both vegan), you could try and make it without but it will be dry, it wont have the same rich flavour and I'm not sure how well it would keep so maybe only make it a week in advance. Sadly if you have a citrus allergy your cake is going to lack some of the essential flavours, however if you are only mildly allergic it might be worth investigating whether or not you can tolerate Cointreau, in which case skip the peel (add a little extra crystallised ginger instead) decrease the brandy and increase the Cointreau. 

This cake contains LOTS of calories and is not suitable for a reducing diet!

I'm splitting the ingredients and method into two different blog posts (and the vegan one, if it works out into a third post) because I know some of you are waiting to get started and this will give you a chance to source your ingredients.

The alcohol

As I explained I use brandy and Cointreau. For me these spirits embody some of the strongest scents of Christmas and I will be using them a lot in other posts before the big day so if you can possibly splash out on both bottles then I promise to help you make good use of them (I'll even volunteer to finish the bottles off for you myself!!) If cost is an issue get one or two Cointreau miniature bottles and a half bottle of brandy. (Oh, OK you can have Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau if you want but it wont have my happy holiday memories attached to it!)
Cointreau is distilled after adding the orange flavour so it is possible that if you do have a mild citrus allergy then the chemicals which trigger the sensitivity may be destroyed in the process but you will have to work this one out VERY carefully, certainly don't try if you have anaphylaxis. 

The eggs and dairy

The freshest eggs work best in this so if you can, buy them only the day before you plan to make the cake. Your heart will be happier and so will the chickens if you buy organic free-range ones. You will also need 250g of salted butter. Do not use spreadable butter (even if you are not allergic to it like me), it's got too many other oils and water in for this recipe. The method I use is easier if the butter and the eggs are at room temperature when you need to use them. It would be possible to switch the eggs for an egg-replacement powder if you needed to avoid them.

The Sugars

You will need 280g of dark soft brown sugar. Please consider getting Fair Trade sugar as the growers themselves get more money helping them to have a better Christmas too.
You will also need 1 tablespoon of black treacle.

The Spices

Always buy the freshest, highest quality spices you can afford for the best aroma. You will need half a level teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, mixed spice and ginger. A little crystallised ginger is optional. I know salt isn't a spice but you will need a pinch and I've no other category to put it in!

The flour

I've tried various gluten free flours, maize flour was too course, potato flour too bitter, rice flour on it's own is a little gritty and it needs the 'grip' of the proprietary blends so I compromise with 140g of Dove farm Plain White Gluten Free and 140g of Doves Farm Rice flour, both of which have the advantage of being organic. (If you want to make this recipe with a plain white wheat flour you should note that gluten free flour does not absorb fat well so I've reduced the amount of butter, to get the same texture with wheat you will need an extra 40g of butter.) Half a level teaspoon of xanthan gum also helps but is not essential.

The Fruit

The zest of 1 lemon, make sure it's has an untreated skin, even the organic ones can have some wax smeared on the outside to make them look shiny and taste awful.

Glace cherries, much glace fruit has wheat in it so you have to be careful. I've chosen Crazy Jacks organic glace because they promise there's no wheat and they're organic. You will need 120g.

Candied peel, again Crazy jacks because they use cane sugar. 120g of peel OR 60g of peel and 60g of crystallised stem ginger. I prefer it with the ginger but my little girls find it a bit strong so I've use all peel for the past couple of years.

120g of dried ('ready to eat') prunes, again I like Crazy Jacks but my regular supplier isn't stocking them so I've had to turn to the supermarket own brand.

Currants 510g, raisins 225g and sultanas 225g, by now it wont surprise you that I like Crazy Jacks ones, they are organic but most importantly for me they are not coated in palm oil. 
(RANT WARNING!!)
Dried fruit like this has been a right pain for me over many years, so much dried fruit is covered in a horrid sticky layer of palm oil just so it looks nice and shiny and pours easily out of the bag.  I can't risk eating anything containing dried vine fruits that has been prepared outside of my home, not cake, not cookies not mince pies, not even muesli because the fruits are nearly always covered in palm oil. If I sound sore about it that's because I am and it's not just for me and the similarly afflicted it's because most if it isn't sustainably sourced, it's made by destroying large areas of jungle that also happens to be orangutans homes. If we want these beautiful primates to survive we need to cut our dependency on this oil. Now pass me a cold flannel and we'll move on.

The currents, raisins and sultanas will all still have some oil on them, (even if it is organic sunflower oil) I find I get much better result if I rinse all three in cool water a couple of times just before I use them. (Top tip to dry them, pop them in the salad spinner, but do it gently!)


Just one more word about all this lovely fruit so I can say a big thank you. Last year I had real problems getting Crazy Jack stuff particularly the currents, my local health food shop were brilliant at trying to get the stuff for me and helped me try to find an alternative. After a long Internet search I found a different brand stocked by place in Brighton. I'd like to thank the staff at both places for the help they gave me last year so that my family cake was ready in time. So here's to Elf Foods and Healthy Supplies.

And finally...
Now you just need to find yourself a very big bowl, an electric whisk, a 9inch round or an 8inch square cake tin, some greaseproof paper, some brown paper and some string, some clingfilm, some baking foil, a large board to mount the cake on and a whole heap of icing!



Part 2 - Getting Sticky!