I’m really into the festive spirit at the moment and just love all the food that this time of year brings – be it donuts for Hannukah or Christmas cake. I was at my friend Sarah’s house the other day and she gave me and Little Lady a slice of her amazing fruit cake. I was amazed to hear it doesn’t  have any added refined sugar in it so I immediately asked her if I could post it on here. Yes it does have lots of dried fruit so that in itself contains sugar but I’m all very much for things in moderation and as long as I don’t have to add any extra refined sugar then it’s a recipe for me and MMM. This also has the benefit of being egg free which is an added benefit as my friends with children who are allergic to eggs are always looking for cake rectors. You can also make it dairy free by switching the milk for any kind of dairy free alternative. In fact Sarah made hers with almond milk and it gave the cake a really lovely nutty taste. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

500g mixed dried fruit

300ml milk or almond milk

180g self-raising flour

Optional:

Icing sugar to dust

Place the fruit in a bowl and cover it with the milk. Cover with some clingfilm and then leave it to soak overnight in the fridge.The next day, preheat oven to 160°C and line a springform cake or loaf tin with baking paper. Stir the flour into the soaked fruit and mix it well then spoon it into the cake tin.  Bake it for about 1 1/14 – 1 1/2 hours or until it has risen, is firm to the touch and the top is nice and golden. I always put a knife into the middle of my cakes to check if they are cooked. If the blade comes out clean then it’s done.  Remove from oven and let it cool in the tin before turning out. You can then dust with icing sugar or some more fruit. This cake is great as if you store it in an airtight container it will keep for 3-4 weeks. You can also double or triple the quantities to make a bigger cake but remember to use a bigger cake tin.