This awesome boiled fruit cake is a firm family favourite in our household, and will definitely be on the table over Christmas. I first tasted this awesome recipe many years ago, back in the days when I was vegetarian – I loved it and I have been missing it ever since. So I retrieved the family recipe, and set out to veganize it, in the hope that it worked. It was every bit as good as it was back then ! I added and changed a handful of things around, and here we have a cake that more than does us justice for this Christmas. It begs for a hot pot of English Tea, and memories of cold winter Sunday afternoons, when really nothing else matters but the fine rich taste of this moist delight, full of flavour and nostalgic texture – pure British nostalgia !
Serves 12
NOTE : Can also be made gluten-free by using all purpose GF flour (available in the US from here, and in the UK from here)
INGREDIENTS
250ml (8 fl oz) water
900g (2 lbs) mixed dried fruit (I used 500g Australian sultanas, and the rest a mixture of ready-to-eat chopped figs, and chopped dried apricots)
100g of black treacle (or a little less if you prefer to use either stevia, xylitol, or molasses)
170g vegan margarine or coconut oil – I mixed equal amounts of both (coconut oil available from here in US, or from here in UK)
230g plain flour (I used 100g plain unbleached, and the rest a mixture of gram flour, tapioca and soya flour) – for gluten-free see note above
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp egg replacer (available from here in the US, and here in the UK/Australia)
½ tsp flaxseeds (available from here in the US, and here in the UK)
the zest of a large orange
almonds for the top to decorate (as per picture)
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC), and grease a 2lb loaf tin, or a round 8” cake tin, and line it with grease proof paper/parchment.
- Combine the water dried fruit, treacle (or sweetener), and vegan butter or coconut oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, and boil gently for 10-15 minutes.
- Meantime, sift the flours, bicarb of soda, and mixed spices, and other dried ingredients in a large bowl. Then when your fruit is ready, allow to stand for 10 minutes or so.
- Now make a well in the flour mix, and pour the fruit mixture in it, and, using a wooden spoon, stir it for a few minutes, making sure it is well mixed.
- Spoon your mixture into the cake tin/loaf tin, and decorate with the almonds.
- Bake for 90 minutes, or until a sharp knife or skewer comes out clean when teste
- Cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes before removing.
- Put the kettle on, cut a slice, spread some vegan butter, lie back, and think of nothing else . . .
All recipes and content © Miriam Sorrell www.mouthwateringvegan.com 2010
Looks so delicious! Would this work with the same measurements of buckwheat or rye flour?
I would be more inclined to use a lighter flour and a mixture, for example brown rice flour and tapioca mixed together. The rye or buckwheat are fine, but given how rich the cake already is, you need a more neutral tasting cake to carry all the richness in the fruit.
thankyou again so much Miriam – made this beautiful cake today after having a xmas cake craving for some time!! it turned out perfect!! I didnt have any egg replacer on hand so I used a mashed banana and a little extra linseed instead and it seemed to work fine 🙂 Have a wonderful Xmas Miriam and my table will have your double stuffed xmas log, xmas pudding and cake on this year!! My most delicious xmas EVER!! THANKYOU!!
Carla Hi – you have put a huge smile on my face, thank you for your gratitude and spirit of cheer ! How wonderful ! Happy Holidays your way to you and your loved ones too ! 🙂
Hi Miriam,
I made this scrumptious fruit cake just before Xmas. I’ve been having hankerings for a good fruit cake since turning vegan and it was just bliss on a plate! Shall definitely make it again and serve it up to my non-vegan friends! Thanks!
PS I prepared your titillating tiramisu for my New Year’s Eve festivities and it was wolfed down by my friends!
That’s super news Sarlizelle, so glad it was enjoyed ! 🙂
It really is a favourite here too Sarlizelle and non-vegans love it too, hope your friends enjoy it too – they won’t be able to tell it’s vegan (that’s the best part of it !).
Hi!
In appearance resembles cake Prague.
Delicious.
Thank you for the recipe
100g of black treacle (or a little less if you prefer to use either stevia, xylitol, or molasses)
170g vegan margarine or coconut oil – I mixed equal amounts of both (coconut oil available from here in US, or from here in UK)
230g plain flour (I used 100g plain unbleached, and the rest a mixture of gram flour, tapioca and soya flour) – for gluten-free see note above
1 tsp mixed spice
PLEASE put USA measurements in parenthesis on these ingredients and could you say what spices are in that mixed spices teaspoon?
Mixed spice consists of : coriander, cassia, caraway, dill, fennel, ginger, clove, turmeric, nutmeg and mustard !
Hi,
What about flaxseed and egg replacement? Do I need to add water to it?
Just follow the directions Ratna, it all gets incorporated into the cake mix. Hope you enjoy it !
Do you have a recipe for the mixed spices? Or can you tell me what proportion of each spice to use? Or are you using a commercial blend of spices?
Hi Diane, hope this helps you : http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/181605/mixed-spice
Thank you for your response. The link provides a recipe with ingredients mostly different from the ones listed in response #11, which seems more like a curry mixture. I think they would have different flavors profiles. Does it make a difference which list of spices to use?
Diane Hi, here is what I suggest – http://theepicentre.com/spice/mixed-spice-english-pudding-spice-recipe/
Now, for the All Spice (if you can’t find it make it yourself and mix with the above spice mix to make a ‘complete mixed spice recipe’ (store the extra in an air tight container once you’ve mixed them all up together, ie the link for the mixed spice and the all spice recipe of the 3 spice ingredients I have mentioned here 🙂 : 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon, 1 Tbsp ground cloves, 1 Tbsp ground nutmeg. Hope this helps you. P.S. Otherwise please just use the mix of the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg – it will be fine with those three essential ingredients.
After I MAKE THIS CAKE, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO STORE IT FOT Christmas
Hi there Kathleen, you may use the method of storing from either for these links :
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2607642/make-and-mature-christmas-cake
https://www.nigella.com/ask/when-to-make-christmas-cakes
Hope this helps you ! 🙂
Thank you very much, I’ll try it here in Brazil
Hi Alosio, let me know how it goes as and when ! 🙂
Hi Miriam. Just about to make your cake, and I’m wondering if the egg replacer is just added in its dry form along with the other dry ingredients, or whether it should be made up into a wet ‘egg’ first. My (non vegan) Mum made your Christmas pudding last year and it was amazing! In fact all of your recipes are delicious!
Hi there Kerry and so glad you enjoyed my Christmas pudding last year, that’s fabulous ! The egg replacer is added with the dried ingredients, hope you enjoy this too – let me know as and when. Happy festivities. 🙂
Hey,
This cake looks amaaazing. I plan on making this into cupcakes next week for some friends! How do you the recipe will go in cupcakes?
Also, can I substitute the egg replacer with more flaxseed/’flax egg’? Or banana? Or ‘chia egg/gel’?
Thanks so much!
Lara xx
this cake is delicious, plus it is SUPER easy to make.
Hello Miriam,
Merry Christmas!
???
Your fruit cake recipe sounds so yummy. I really never liked them. Reading the ingredients are tantalizing my taste buds.
If you would clarify for me, please.
For the flour you say 100 grams of plain unbleached flour. I got that. Then you mention
“the rest a mixture of gram flour, tapioca and soya flour) ”
Now,
1. How much GRAM Flour ____?
2. How much TAPIOCA Starch____?
3. How much SOYA Flour _____?
Thank you so much! ?
Hi Susan, around 40 grams of each, no need to be precise with each one, just so when you are weighing the gram, tapioca and soya they amount to the remaining 130 grams, if you are short by a few grams when weighing the whole of these 3, just add a tiny more to make it up to 130 grams (the rest is the plain flour in the recipe). Hope you make and enjoy it – let me know how it goes as and when ! Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones too ! 🙂
Thanks there Shauna, glad you like it ! 🙂
Hi there Lara. I have never made this cake into cupcakes, so I cannot advise you 100% in terms of the finished product, but that said, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Only thing is the baking time may be slightly reduced, so please keep an eye on them when they’re in your oven. Yes, flax egg should do the trick. Enjoy & let me know how they work out for you. Happy Holidays ! 🙂
Hi there Kerry and thanks for dropping by. As you suspected the egg replacer is added with the dried ingredients. Then continue recipe as per instructions. Let me know how it goes. Merry Christmas to you ! 🙂
Hello
I baked this vegan xmas cake for Christmas, I don’t usually bake but as my two son’s are vegan for year’s I decided to give a try,I was Reilly surprised as anything I bake is usually a disaster,it was absolutely lovely,when it was baked I made little holes with a toothpick and poured a little brandy in to keep moist, you can’t taste the brandy.Thank you for the recipe
Hi Dolores, congrats for making this. Keep the recipe for the years ahead. It is also quite lovely during the cold winter months with a nice cup of earl grey tea.
Where did I go wrong?
Followed the recipe then realised it doesn’t say when to add the egg supplement or the orange!
It smelt lovely while cooking but fell apart when turned on the cooling rack half hour after raking out of oven 😕
Hi Jeanette, sorry to hear about your experience. The recipe clearly states in the method that : ‘Meantime, sift the flours, bicarb of soda, mixed spices, and other dried ingredients in a large bowl’. ‘Other dried ingredients means the egg replacer which is one of them’. As for when to put the orange zest into the cake, that wouldn’t have made a difference when, as rest assure it would not have made your cake fall apart. So, it looks to me as if something else came into play that may have caused that, and since I wasn’t in the kitchen with you, I cannot say what that could have been – whether the cake was over mixed, or if there was a tad too much liquid, whether it needed more time in the oven, or the varying degree of heat or other of your oven. One or a combination of these alone could cause a slight problem, but certainly not the egg replacer or when to put your orange zest in the cake mix would have made the cake fall apart. The only time a cake ever fell apart as you expressed to me, is if I tried to cut it open whilst still hot – I learnt my lesson a couple of decades ago on that. In addition, many people all over the world have successfully made and served this cake and did not encounter this problem.