A Very Murray Christmas Cake

It’s December, and you know what that means; it’s time to get those sleigh bells jingling and for Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey’s albums to be dusted off and played across every supermarket, radio station and shopping centre all over the world.

It’s crazy how quickly Christmas rolls around every year, and wow, what a crazy year it’s been!

I love Christmas, and like most people, I’m looking forward to finally spending time with my family and friends, giving thoughtful gifts and of course, consuming all of the delicious festive foods.

I know that for some, even thinking about the turkeys, pies and cakes can make your tummy gurgle and grumble. Ease your worries (and the gurgles) by making your Christmas feast Supercharged Food approved!

Looking to arrange a perfect Christmas feast for your employees and guests? Have a look at what Elizabeth Andrews Corporate Catering has to offer for your office Christmas party.

You may remember last year I created a delicious Mediterranean Fish Dish for Christmas eve with the recipe available here or my Roast Turkey with all the trimmings here.

I even made a Healthy Holiday Hacks book for you, as a Christmas gift from me to you which you can collect here for free.

When I’m creating my Christmas table, I source local ingredients and items wherever I can. Choosing local is a great way to support our local farmers and producers, and can help keep you in touch with what’s in season.

I’m a conscious spender, and focus on spending money on good-quality and ethically-produced ingredients sourced from local markets and producers wherever possible; they deserve it.

Today, I want to help you with the best and most nostalgic part of the Christmas meal – dessert. While you can go for something chocolatey, I’m a traditionalist through and through, and will always opt for Christmas cake.

My fool-proof and tummy-friendly Very Murray Christmas Cake is simple to make and even simpler to eat (because it’s so tasty). I’ve created it using a combination of nuts, spices, eggs, avocado oil and organic dried fruit; how simple is that?

When creating the recipe for this cake, I wanted it to be a showcase of local goods. For my organic dried fruit, I’ve chosen Murray River Organics, an Aussie company who use sustainable and organic farming practices and recyclable packaging.

This cake uses organic dried fruit in place of any refined or added sugar. Choosing organic dried fruit that is sulphur-free will cause less gastrointestinal upset, and will make your cake bursting with flavour. You can use any dried fruit you like – I recommend organic sultanas, muscat raisins, apricots, cranberries, blueberries, cherries or figs. If you’re using bigger fruits like figs, chop them up beforehand, so everything bakes evenly.

The best thing about this cake (besides the taste) is just how beautiful it looks on the Christmas table. You can even bake it as a gift for friends or relatives and wrap it in some rustic paper and a ribbon. Plus, it doesn’t need to be made weeks in advance, it can be made in just under two hours – now that’s a Christmas miracle worth singing and jingling about.

This delicious healthy Christmas fruit cake recipe is gluten, refined sugar, grain and dairy-free. Created with mixed spices and a hint of lemon zest, it has a lovely festive feel.

I hope it brings you deliciousness and light for the upcoming festive season.

Happy Holidays!

A Very Murray Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 200 gms almond meal
• 50 gms cashews chopped
• 500 gms mixed organic dried fruit of your choice, such as Murray River Organics sultanas, muscat raisins and apricots, and add some colour with cranberries, blueberries and cherries
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp allspice
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarb of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla powder or extract
• Pinch Celtic Sea Salt
• 1 TBS lemon zest grated
• 3 TBS lemon juice
• 4 TBS coconut milk
• 3 TBS Murray River Organics avocado oil
• 3 eggs lightly beaten

Method

• Preheat your oven to 160 C and line a loaf or cake tin with baking paper
• In a mixing bowl combine almond meal, chopped cashews, dried fruit, spices, baking powder, bicarb of soda, vanilla, sea salt and lemon zest
• In a separate bowl place lemon juice, coconut milk, oil and eggs and whisk together
• Add the dry ingredients to wet and fold through with a wooden spoon
• Spoon the mixture into prepared tin then press the mixture down into the tin using your hands so that it is compact and tightly packed
• Bake for 1 hour on the middle shelf of the oven
• Check cake with a skewer and remove from the oven when the skewer comes out clean
• Let cool and then carefully remove from tin
• Stored in sealed container in fridge ready for the Christmas festivities