Eggless Christmas Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1/2 cup glace cherries, halved
• 1/4 cup mixed peel
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
• 2 Tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 2 pieces ginger in syrup, chopped
• finely grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups wholemeal self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon/
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 Tablespoons brandy or dark rum
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar for dusting
• Tools: star shaped cookie cutter

Directions

1. Soak the sultanas, raisins, currants, cherries and mixed peel in apple juice overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 300F.
3. Grease and line a 7 inch round cake tin.
4. Add the hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, ginger and lemon rind to the fruit.
5. Stir in the milk and oil.
6. Sif the flour and spices, then stir in brandy or rum.
7. Spoon in cake pan and bake for 1.5 hours or until the the cake is golden brown and firm to touch.
8. Turn out of pan and let cool on a wire rack.
9. Once cool, dust carefully with confectioners sugar using the cookie cutters to create your shapes.