Gingered rich fruit cake

This traditional cake has been jazzed up with lots of ginger – you’d never know it’s gluten-free and dairy-free. Perfect for weddings and Christmas

  • Prep:30 mins
    Cook:2 hrs 30 mins
    Plus 15 mins to decorate
  • Serves 12
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 600
  • fat 18g
  • saturates 3g
  • carbs 107g
  • sugars 43g
  • fibre 4g
  • protein 7g
  • salt 0.33g

Ingredients

  • oil, for greasing
  • 100g each dried currants, sultanas and raisins
  • 225g each semi-dried figs and prunes, roughly chopped
  • 200g tub crystallised ginger
  • 100g stem ginger, from a jar, chopped
  • 2 tbsp stem ginger syrup
  • 4 tbsp Cointreau
  • 1 tsp each ground ginger and mixed spice
  • zest 2 lemons
  • 150ml olive oil
  • 175g light muscovado sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 225g gluten-free flour
  • 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
  • 4 tbsp apricot jam
  • 1 tbsp Cointreau
  • 450g mixed fruit, including figs, prunes, dates and apricots

Tip

Making ahead
Make the cake to the end of step 3 up to one month ahead, then wrap in foil. Arrange and glaze the fruit a few days before Christmas.

Method

  1. Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Lightly oil a 71?2cm deep, 25cm round cake tin, and line it with a double layer of baking parchment.

  2. Mix the dried fruits, ginger and syrup, Cointreau, spices and lemon zest. Put the olive oil, sugar and eggs in a bowl, whisk together until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and tip in the fruit. Fold and stir together well.

  3. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 2-21?2 hrs, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover with foil if the cake begins to over-brown. Take from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Remove, leaving the baking parchment in place until you decorate.

  4. For the topping: warm the jam and Cointreau together until the jam is liquid, allow to cool. Arrange the fruit on the cake and brush with the jam.

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