VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

This fabulous and festive vegan cake will last 6 to 8 weeks in a cool, covered space. But we bet you will gobble it all up long before then! You’ll need: For the cake 340g flour 170g brown sugar 200g currants 70g cranberries 350g cake mix (sultana and raisins) 80g glace cherries, chopped 40g mixed peel, chopped 280ml soya milk 70g margarine 25g bicarbonate of soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon all spice ½ teaspoon cloves ½ teaspoon salt 200ml brandy For the marzipan 200g flaked almonds 300g icing sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice ⅓ cup water Here’s how:

1. Soak currants, cranberries and cake mix in 100ml brandy for 1 week. Wrap container with plastic wrap (it will expand) and shake every day.
2. Mix flour, sugar, spices, cherries, miexed peel and soaked fruit in a big bowl.
3. Warm soya milk and stir in bicarbonate of soda.
4. Melt margarine and mix with the soya milk.
5. Add soya milk mixture into flour mix. Don’t over-stir, it just needs to all be be mixed.
6. Pour into 23cm lined cake tin and bake for 1 hour at 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees fahrenheit), then at 150 degrees celsius (300 degrees fahrenheit) for 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Ovens vary, so after first hour, check every 10 minutes.
7. Once cooled, prick many holes with a toothpick and pour over the remaining 100ml brandy.
8. Once all the brandy has been soaked up, remove from the tin and wrap tightly for 1 week. Turn it over every day. After the week, it will be ready to decorate!
9. To make the marzipan, put flaked almonds and icing sugar in a food processor and pulse until it turns into a flour. If you don’t have a food processor, use almond flour and mix in a bowl.
10. Mix the lemon juice with the water and add half to your flour mix.
11. Knead until a dough forms, adding more water. Almond flour may need more water than flaked almonds.
12. You should now have a pliable, soft dough. Roll out onto a sheet of baking paper dusted with icing sugar.
13. To cover the cake, flip the rolled marzipan onto the cake and carefully remove the baking paper. Now smooth and close any holes. You can choose to either cover the top of the cake in a thick layer, or cover the whole cake, or just the top and sides. (This recipe makes enough to cover the whole cake).
14. Leave cake in a cake box to dry for 48 hours to 1 week. The marzipan with help preserve the fruit cake.
15. Now you can decorate with fondant – always use more than you think.
16. Roll out fondant in same way as the marzipan. Before placing over the cake, brush the marzipan with water otherwise the fondant will slide off.
17. Once your fondant is one, you can decorate as you wish!

With much thanks to our good friend and vegan baker extraordinaire, Anel Clarke, for this wonderful recipe.