Huh? What? Christmas cake, vegan? With home-made vegan banana ice-’cream’ 
? OKAY!
I’ve had quite a few requests for the recipe, so here it is!
The original recipe I came across wasn’t animal-friendly, it featured eggs and some other ingrediants. I adapted it and now it’s completely vegan/vegetarian.
Ingredients:
8 oz/225g light brown sugar or *raw cane sugar – Succanant*
8 oz/225g butter (I used Vegan Butter ‘Pulse’ or another non-dairy alternative)
8 oz/225g plain flour (I used Diabetics flour so less sugar)
1 ½ oz/43g chopped almonds (I didn’t have almonds so used walnuts and pecans)
2 oz/55g cherries – (I didn’t have cherries so used cranberries)
1 ½ level teaspoons cocoa powder (you can use with or without)
1 oz/28g black treacle (I used Maple Syrup)
1 tablespoon Sherry, Brandy or Rum (or more) (optional booze) (orange juice works great here actually!)
A splash of milk (or soya milk)
4 eggs – beaten (or half a banana)
8 oz/225g currants (you don’t have to stick to the amounts here)
8 oz/225g sultanas (optional)
8 oz/225g raisins
1 oz/28g ground almonds (or pecans/walnuts)
2 oz/55g mixed peel
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
½ level teaspoon nutmeg
½ level teaspoon cinnamon (I actually used 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon coffee (I didn’t add this one)
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange – (you can rip open the orange and add chunks of orange, it’s really nice and fruity)
Directions:
Soak all the fruits in boiling water for a few minutes.
Cream together the butter & sugar then add the zest of lemon and orange. Add beaten eggs/half a banana.
When well mixed fold in the drained fruits with either Sherry, Rum or Brandy (optional booze) and a little soy milk. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
(I also added a little vanilla and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate powder).
Scrap mixture into cake tin/ or mound a cake shape if you don’t have a cake tin and decorate with the almonds/pecans on top if like. You can sprinkle a little more brown sugar over the top if like before baking.
Bake in oven 150 degrees C, 300 degrees F or Gas mark 2 for 3 – 4 hours (2 hours worked too!). It’s ready when a knitting needle/chopstick/skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Check after 1 hour and if nuts on top are getting a little to brown, cover with tin foil.
When cool gently poke the cake all over with a fine knitting needle and pour small amounts of brandy or rum over the top of the cake on a regular basis until ready to decorate (optional booze)
**you will need to blanch the almonds if using, before using by simply popping into boiling water for a couple of minutes and the skins will slip off easily.*
…Then enjoy!!
Oh, for the banana vegan ice-’cream’, you get some bananas (amount dependent on amount of servings. Two bananas enough for 1 person usually). Peel skins and chop into roughly bite-sized amounts. Then pop pieces into a bowl and freeze. Once frozen well (two hours wasn’t enough really) – remove from freezer and place in food-processer. I used a blender/smoothie-maker and so had to add a little Soy Milk as wasn’t grinding properly.
Once blended up into an ice-cream effect, pour in a bowl with your slice of Christmas cake, stick on a festive movie, maybe have a mulled-wine and enjoy!
(PS – for different recipes, you can add peanut butter and/or cocoa powder to the ice-cream too, nom!)
