Grain free Easter fruit cake

The perfect Easter cake for those not keen on Simnel cake the traditional Easter cake made with marzipan .

If you miss Simnel cake and are living grain free, you could use this recipe and add a thin layer of golden marzipan to add to the centre of the cake mixture about 1/3  and then once baked and cooled add warmed apricot jam and a top layer of marzipan, crimp the edges and use the remaining to make 11 balls to place around the edge on the top. This can be brushed with beaten egg and popped under a hot grill for a moment. A good alternative to a traditional Simnel cake.

This really is a treat cake packed with lots of dried fruit, high in sugar but for a special celebration cake this is perfect and I think it will become a new tradition in my home.

You will need

140g raisins/sultanas

30g chopped dried apricots

80g chopped dried cherries

80g pitted finely chopped medjool dates

130g ground almonds

100g finely chopped walnuts

1 heaped tsp mixed spice

zest of one orange

1/2 heaped tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp squeezed orange juice

15g coconut sugar

4 large eggs

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together and the fruit

add the coconut oil, beaten eggs, orange juice

mix well

line a loaf tin or round tin with greaseproof paper

spoon in the cake mixture

sprinkle a little coconut sugar on top

bake for 40mins in pre heated fan oven 170c

Allow to cool

remove from the tin and continue to cool on a wire rack

decorate with mini Easter eggs or leave as it is .

This cake freezes well.

Happy Easter  x

Grain free Hot Cross Buns

This Easter I am determined to stay grain free through the festivities,  with this in mind I set about trying to make myself some Hot Cross Buns, for me an essential taste of Easter. Just to make this more tricky for myself I could not use yeast as I am intolerant to it.

I decided to use Ugg chia seed and nut bread mix as my starting point and added spices and fruit to get as near to this classic as possible

1/2 pack – 175g of UGG Foods chia seed and nut bread mix ( I buy mine from natureshealthbox.co.uk  )

3 eggs separated whites and yolk

2 tbsp coconut oil ( I used Lucy bee )

1/2 pint almond milk

3 tbsp maple syrup

110g a mix of raisins, sultanas

1 tbsp chopped dried apricots

1  heaped tsp cinnamon

1 heaped tsp mixed spice

add more spice if you prefer

zest orange/lemon

 

low sugar Apricot jam for glaze

For the cross- 2 tsp coconut flour add water until you have a smooth paste

or use icing sugar

Method

I put the dry ingredients in a bowl

I then beat the egg white until stiff peaks

I beat the egg yolks and added the maple syrup and melted coconut oil

then added them to the dry ingredients

I mixed well and then folded in the egg whites

This makes a very wet dough

I sprinkled ground almonds on the surface

I used my hands to mould each bun shape

You should be able to make six hot cross buns

I placed these on a baking tray with greaseproof paper

I found the cross the hardest to achieve. I mixed coconut flour and water until it formed a smooth paste. I used a icing syringe to make this cross.

You could wait until the buns are baked and cooled and add pipped icing sugar to make a cross.

I put the buns in a pre heated fan oven 170c

for 30- 35mins

Straight out of the oven I brushed warmed sieved low sugar apricot jam over the buns

I was quite pleased with the over all look , will try harder with the cross next time.

The taste was very close to I remembered, obviously the texture is slightly different. going to make another batch very soon.

If you have any other ideas to make the cross do let me know

 

Delicious as they are or toasted with plenty of butter.

Happy Baking!