farmhouse fruit cake

6oz/175g organic dried dates

5fl oz/150ml water

4fl oz/125ml organic sunflower oil

1oz/30g organic ground almonds

1 tsp ground mixed spice

3 organic eggs

Juice of 1 organic orange 

Zest of 1 organic orange 

2oz/60g organic brown rice flour

2oz/60g unbleached organic corn flour (if unavailable you could use millet flour or gram flour)

2oz/60g/ organic soya flour

2 tsp of baking powder

2oz/60g organic walnuts

8oz/225g raisins (lexia raisins work well)

4oz/125g of grated organic carrot

1 organic apple (grated)

Here’s how

  1. Cut the dates into small pieces and place in a pan with the water. Simmer over a low heat for approx 10 minutes or until the dates are soft (you may need to add a little more water). Allow to cool.
  2. Place the dates, oil, ground almonds, mixed spice, eggs, orange juice and zest, the flours and the baking powder in a food processor and process or beat by hand until well blended.
  3. Add the walnuts (you can crisp these slightly by putting into the oven on 170 (gas mark 3) for about 5-10 minutes) raisins, grated carrot and grated apple and stir in by hand.
  4. Place in a greased or lined 21b loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 170C/325F/gas mark 3 for 30 minutes then lower the temperature to 140C/275F/gas mark 1 and bake for another 45mins to 1 hour.
  5. Allow the cake to cool then slice. This cake keeps for four days in a cake tin or for about 2 weeks if kept in the fridge. It also freezes well.

 Thanks to kaththorley@gmail.com