5 Christmas Cake Recipes That Keep Sugar Out For A Healthier You
Sweet treats for healthy Christmas indulgence
Christmas is a time for eating good food, and that usually means eating lots of desserts. Who could say no to some delicious cakes filled with dried fruits, nuts and other amazing holiday flavours?
But the amount of refined sugar used in desserts is unhealthy and a huge concern for weight-watchers. But if you’re trying to cut down on your sugar intake, though, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on festive cakes. There are plenty of refined sugar-free Christmas cake recipes out there that are just as delicious as the traditional versions.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of 5 delicious sugar-free Christmas cake recipes. Whether you’re looking for a fruit cake, a chocolate cake, or something with dry fruits, we’ve got you covered with recipes that will work with your dietary choices. We even have a vegan option if you’re on a plant-based diet. So what are you waiting for? Get baking!
1. Free-From Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
600g dried fruit- mix up your faves!
200g ground almonds
50g walnuts
3 tbsp olive oil
3 organic eggs
Juice of 1 Orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
½ tsp nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 150 C / 300 F.
Prepare a 20 cm round cake tin with baking paper lining the sides and the base. Adjust cooking times if your tin is larger or smaller.
Combine dried fruit, spices, vanilla, orange juice, olive oil and eggs.
Add ground almonds and walnuts and mix through.
Spoon batter into your baking tin.
Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean, if not bake for another 30 minutes.
Cover the top with cling film to prevent over-browning after 1 hour.
Cool, then remove from the tin and store in an airtight container.
Decorate with your wildest Christmassy imaginings!
2. Chocolate Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
1½ cups chopped dried fruit (a combination of dates, apricots and unsweetened cranberries - ¾ cup dates, ½ cup apricots and ¼ cup dried cranberries )
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup cassava flour
2 tbsp carob powder or cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup water
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey( optional)
2 tbsp chopped walnuts or cashew nuts (omit for AIP)
extra dried cranberries for topping
Directions:
About 10-12 hours before baking the cake, soak the dried fruits in boiling water. Cover and keep aside until it is time to bake.
Preheat oven to 300 deg F. Line an 8-inch round cake dish OR a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and grease it with coconut oil.
In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and stir with a large wooden spoon or a hand mixer to mix well. Then add the soaked dried fruit along with all the soaked water too. The batter should be fairly thick.
Pour the batter onto the baking pan and Add the walnuts (if adding) and the extra dried cranberries on top. Place in the oven to bake at 300 deg F (or 150 deg C) for about 45-50 mins. (Check after 40 mins by inserting a knife or toothpick in the centre. If it comes out clean, then the cake is done).
3. Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Fruit Cake
2 cups almond meal
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup prunes, cut in half
1/2 cup dried apricots, cut in half
1/2 cup pistachios, cut in half
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp orange rind
Raw almonds, to decorate
Directions:
Preheat oven to 180C or 160C fan-forced. Grease and line an 8cm x 19cm loaf pan (base measurements) with baking paper.
Combine almond meal, salt and bicarbonate in a large bowl. Stir through dried fruit and pistachios. Whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla and rind in a large jug until combined. Stir the egg mixture through the almond mixture. Spoon into prepared pan. Level top with a spatula. Decorate with almonds.
Bake for 50 minutes (covering loosely with foil if over-browning) or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Stand cake in pan for 5 minutes. Lift the cake onto a wire rack and stand until cooled.
4. Vegan Plum Cake
Ingredients:
1.5 cups (210g) whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/2 cup refined coconut oil
1 teaspoon lemon zest
50g water
2 teaspoons baking powder
5 plums
1 tablespoon lemon juice
0.5 teaspoon cinnamon powder
100g banana puree
Directions:
Turn on the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line an 18cm round tin with parchment paper or grease with oil.
Mix whole wheat flour, coconut sugar and baking powder.
Add refined coconut oil, banana puree, water and lemon zest.
Put the finished dough into the form. Place the plum halves on top of the dough. Drizzle the plums with lemon juice and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and toothpick dry. Cool the finished Plum Cake on a wire rack to room temperature.
Store the cake in a tightly closed container on the counter for three days and in the refrigerator for seven days.
5. Orange And Cranberry Cake
Ingredients:
For cake
150g unsalted butter, room temperature
280g / 1 1/2 cup erythritol sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
2 1/4 cup Almond meal
1 cup rolled oats, ground into flour
1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large navel oranges, zest and juiced
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup dried cranberries
For frosting
100g butter, room temperature
1 tbsp orange zest
200g agave sugar, powdered
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup almond milk, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
For garnish
1 navel orange, sliced and quartered
Fresh rosemary sprigs
A handful of fresh cranberries, some cut in half
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a large baking loaf pan with parchment paper
Zest the two oranges and juice them.
In a bowl, sift the almond flour, oats flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside.
In a stand mixer bowl, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and erythritol sugar on medium-high speed until creamy and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time and beat for 2 minutes until combined. Add 1/3 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of orange zest and vanilla essence. Beat for another minute.
Add half the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Keeping the mixer on low speed, mix for a few seconds until just combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed again until just combined. Do not overbeat.
Fold the dried cranberries in the batter and pour them into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until fully baked. Turn the pan once halfway through baking. Check the cake after 45-50 minutes, if you feel the surface of the cake is golden brown already and your cake is still raw from the centre, using the oven mitts cover it carefully with aluminium foil to stop it from burning and let it bake further until completely baked.
Let the cake sit in the pan for 40 minutes to an hour before removing it on the wire rack to cool completely.
For frosting, sift agave sugar and cornstarch through a fine sieve and ensure there are no lumps. Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy. Add sifted sugar mix and beat on medium speed until fluffy and pale. Add vanilla and almond milk, and mix again on medium speed until soft and well combined. Don’t overwork as the butter may separate. Gently fold in the orange zest and spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Decorate with orange quarters, fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs.
