Delicious festive alternatives to the traditional fruit cake
You don’t have to wait for the big day to indulge yourself, celebrate the countdown to Christmas with a sweet treat.
Red velvet cranberry cake
This festive tiered cake is bound to leave an impression. Its exquisite combination of cream and fruit hits all the right notes. Makes an 18cm cake
For the cake
250g butter, softened, plus a little extra for the tin 200g raw sugar 1 pinch sea salt 6 eggs 1 tsp ground vanilla 1½ tbsp red food colouring 3⅓ cups (500g) spelt flour 4 tsp baking powder 150ml milk 50ml cranberry juice (or use milk)
For the frosting
500g cream cheese 1 cup (120g) icing sugar 200ml single cream ⅔ cup (100g) dried cranberries Cranberries and rosemary, for garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Butter an 18cm springform cake tin.
Whisk the butter, raw sugar and salt until foamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and continue whisking until creamy, then stir in the food colouring. Combine the spelt flour and baking powder and gradually fold into the butter and egg mixture, alternating with the milk and cranberry juice. Pour the batter into the tin. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 1 hour. Carefully remove the cake from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the frosting, put the cream cheese in a bowl. Sift the icing sugar on top and mix well. Whip the cream until stiff, then fold it into the mixture.
Carefully halve the cooled cake horizontally to make two layers. Spread the bottom half with half of the frosting. Arrange the dried cranberries on top, then replace the top cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake. Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary, if desired.
Moist almond and coconut cake
A delectably moist, soft little cake conjured up from just a few ingredients. Why not spontaneously invite a few friends over for afternoon tea or coffee and spoil them with this delicate seasonal feast of almonds and coconut? Makes an 18cm cake
Butter, for the tin 4 eggs 150g raw sugar 100g desiccated coconut 2 cups (200g) almond meal 1 tsp grated zest from an organic lemon 1 tbsp icing sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter an 18cm springform cake tin.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Whisk the yolks and icing sugar until foamy. Stir in the coconut and almond meal and add the lemon zest. Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour the batter into the tin. Bake for 30–40 minutes. Insert a wooden toothpick to test for doneness. If none of the cake mixture sticks to the toothpick, the cake is ready. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a little. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Tip Use a paper or wooden star to create a beautiful pattern: place the star on top of the cake before dusting it with the icing sugar. Once you remove the star, the pattern will have transferred to the cake.