Roasted Almond, Citrus and Whisky Christmas Cake

This delicious gluten-free cake is fragrant with traditional flavours and very quick to put together. See below for serving suggestions

1 cup good-quality fruit mince (see Cook’s note)

75 grams whole roasted almonds, finely chopped

½ cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped

150 grams butter, very soft but not melted

150 grams brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground mixed spice 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla extract finely grated zest 1 large orange and 1 large lemon

1/3 cup orange juice 2 large eggs, size 7 2 tablespoons whisky

150 grams ground almonds (almond meal)

50 grams brown rice flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon sea salt 1/3 cup slivered almonds (optional)

EQUIPMENT:

Grease an 18cm springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Cut a 60cm-long piece of baking paper and fold it into thirds lengthways. Use this three-layered paper to line the sides of the greased tin.

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

Place all the ingredients down to and including the whisky, in a large bowl and whisk together. The mixture will look a little curdled. Combine the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt then add to the fruit mix. Stir together then tip into the tin. If you’re not icing the cake, scatter the almonds over the top.

Bake for 80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 30 minutes then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely. MAKES 1 CAKE

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Leave the cake plain and dust with icing sugar or top with

Whisky Cream Cheese Icing (see right) and toasted almonds. We also topped it with Candied

Citrus Peel; you can find the recipe on the dish website.