Christmas Cake

Method

1. You will need to boil the fruit before use. A common problem with gluten-free fruit cakes is that the fruit can sink to the bottom, as there is no gluten present to hold the fruit in place. Boiling the fruit plumps it up and prevents it sinking – so add the fruit to a pan of boiling water, bring it back to the boil, allow to bubble for a minute and then remove from the heat and drain; you will then need to dry it thoroughly (just pop it on some kitchen roll and leave to dry; this will ensure that you don’t end up with a soggy cake!
2. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the grated rind, eggs, Gluten-Free Mix, ground almonds and spices, and mix together well.
4. Stir in the dried fruit, cherries and carrot.
5. Grease and line a 20cm (8inch) square tin or 22.5cm (9inch) round tin. Place the mixture in the prepared tin, leaving a slight hollow in the centre.
6. Wrap a double piece of foil around the outside of the tin and bake in a pre heated oven (150ºC/130°C Fan/300ºF/Gas Mark 2) for approximately 3 hours. (A fine skewer, when inserted in the cake, should come out completely clean when cooked).
7. When completely cooled, wrap the cake well and store in an airtight container, and feed with brandy or tipple of your choice! The cake will keep for 6-8weeks.