Vanilla Christmas Cake
Brought to you by the blogger behind Happy Skin Kitchen, this cake is literally Christmas on a plate! Packed with luxurious festive flavours and juicy dried fruits, it's delicately sweet and satisfying. The cashew cream makes it even more decadent and perfect for this time of year. Although you wouldn’t normally add vanilla to all these warm spices, we've got our Ceylon with Vanilla tea involved and it did not disappoint. Here's all you need to know about this festive superstar to wow your friends, family, guests... or munch on it all by yourself:
Ingredients:
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup brewed Ceylon with Vanilla tea ( to maximise the flavour, brew for at least 1 hour)
2 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp all spice mix
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup sultanas
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 cup chopped mixed nuts (we used a mix of walnuts, almonds and brazil nuts)
Juice of 3 clementines/tangerines
For the cashew frosting:
1 cup raw cashews soaked in water for at least 8 hours or overnight
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup almond milk
1/3 of cup brewed Ceylon with Vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
Method:
Step 1. Start by preheating the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
Step 2. Roughly chop the dates and place them into a pan with the brewed Ceylon with Vanilla Tea and bring it to boil.
Step 3. Turn down the heat and cook them gently for 10 minutes until soft.
Step 4. Mash them up into a paste.
Step 5. Add all the dried fruits, nuts, spices and the juice of the clementines. Mix everything together.
Step 6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour (through a sieve) to avoid any lumps.
Step 7. Once everything is well combined, pour the mixture into a greased cake tin (we have greased ours with coconut oil). Spread the cake batter with a spatula.
Step 8. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Halfway through the baking time, cover the top of the cake with some foil to prevent the top from burning.
Step 9. While the cake is baking, make the cashew frosting: drain and rinse the cashews. Place them in a blender and add all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place the cream in the fridge. This will help the frosting to thicken up even more.
Step 10. Once the cake is ready, remove from the oven and let it cool down completely in the tin for at least 1 hour.
Step 11. Before serving, cover the cake with the cashew frosting. We just used a spatula to spread it across the cake. Be generous! Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and fresh red currants.