Vegan fruit cake for a wedding

[Linxie]

Does anyone have a good fruit cake recipe that my friend could use for a small tier of her wedding cake? Myself and a couple of other vegans will be there so she wants to make a vegan tier for us so we are not left out! :)

[Gorilla]

i have a good recipe at home, i'll dig it out for you later.

[Linxie]

Thanks! :)

[Aradia]

What a lovely friend you have Linxie!

[Linxie]

I know its very thoughtful. I would offer to make it for her if I wasn't such a rubbish cook. :D

[Aradia]

But you must already be a great friend or he/she wouldn't be wanting to include you so particularly in the cake feastingness :p

[Linxie]

I hadn't thought of that! It is nice :)

[bryzee86]

Cherry has a good fruit cake recipe at www.parsleysoup.co.uk - I've used it twice with good results.

[Pob]

There's another recipe here, too, which we've just tried (not tasted yet):
http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/xmascake.htm

We used this one because Cherry's recipe uses marge, which we don't use.

We soaked the fruit in brandy and amaretto, though, left out the sherry, and used white flour and no molasses (cos we didn't have any). Will let you know what it's like.

[vava]

Cherry has a good fruit cake recipe at www.parsleysoup.co.uk (http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk) - I've used it twice with good results.
where - I can't see it? :o

[Pob]

http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk/getrecipe.php?section=christmas&recipe=fruit_cake

[harpy]

That is nice. Here's how my mother makes Christmas cake, if it's any use. Obviously you won't need the Merry Christmas signs ;)


VEGAN CHRISTMAS CAKE
Main equipment:
2 mixing bowls (one medium size, one large)
one 7½ (seven and a half) inch diameter circular baking tin
1 wooden spoon
sieve for flour/sugar
greaseproof paper
cooking foil
brown paper, string
airtight cake container

TIME SCHEDULE: ideally, allow at least 31-32 days before cake is to be
cut:
i.e.(i) put fruit to soak in brandy for 2-3 days before making cake
(ii) leave cooked cake to mature in container for 3 weeks
(iii) apply marzipan to cake and return it to container for 5 days
(iv) ice the cake and leave for 3 days before cutting

RECIPE
Cake:
6 oz vegan dairyfree margarine (for a drier texture this could be reduced
to 4 or 5 oz)
6 oz castor sugar
8oz self-raising flour
8oz sultanas (ready washed
8oz currants (ready washed)
2 oz raisins (ready washed)
2-3 oz natural-coloured glacé cherries, halved
3oz candied peel, chopped
4oz ground almonds
¼ (one quarter) teaspoonful mixed spice
1½ (one and a half) oz treacle
1 tablespoonful fine-peel marmalade (the peel cut smaller if necessary)
Pinch of salt

Preparation for cooking:
(1) Two-three days before cooking day, put the dried fruit in the medium
bowl, stir well, add two or three dessertsp of brandy. Leave for 2 -3
days, stirring occasionally and adding a spoonful or so of brandy as the
first lot is absorbed by the frui
.(2) On day of cooking, N.B. BEFORE starting to combine the ingredients,
line the cake tin with greased greaseproof paper and tie a
double-thickness brown paper collar round the baking tin, about an inch
higher than the tin itself, to guard against the cake scorching (but take
my advice and hover around during cooking time to check that the brown
paper collar doesn't start to smoulder in the oven).

Mixing:
(1) Using the wooden spoon and the large mixing bowl, combine the sugar
and fat to a creamy consistency.
(2) Sift the sieved flour (most of), salt, ground almonds and spice
gradually into the sugar and fat mixture in the large bowl, mixing as you
go, but stir an ounce or so of the sieved flour gently into the soaked
fruit to dry it a bit so that it doesn't sink.
(3) Stir the fruit gradually into the mixture, then lastly stir in the
treacle and the marmalade.
(4) Put the mixture into the cake tin, smoothing the surface to avoid a
peak forming tin the centre during cooking. Bake at a very low temperature
low in the oven for 3½ (three and a half) to 4 hours or so, according to
your oven, until the mixture is cooked through (when a fine knitting
needle inserted into the cake comes out slightly shiny but not wet). Allow
the cake to cool completely in the baking tin, overnight if necessary,
before removing it and storing it, wrapped in greaseproof paper + cooking
foil, in the air-tight container.
(5) After a week or so, remove the cake from the container and using a
clean, fine knitting needle make several holes in the cake and gently pour
into it 2 or 3 dessertsp of brandy, before rewrapping it and returning it
to the container. After (ideally) three weeks, apply the marzipan:

VEGAN MARZIPAN
8-10-12 oz ground almonds (according to how thick you want the marzipan to
be)
8-10-12 oz castor sugar
2 oz or so of vegan dairyfree margarine
1 tablespoon brandy
a little tepid previously boiled water, to moisten the mixture
To make the marzipan adhere to the cake: 2 dessertsp of apricot jam
(marmalade without the peel would do)

Mix the sieved marzipan ingredients together, working well with the hands
until it is smooth and mouldable but not wet.
Heat the jam/marmalade gently in a saucepan with some boiled water to
dilute it slightly, and then brush or spoon the warm jam mixture over the
top and sides of the cake.
Then spread the marzipan evenly over the cake, preferably a bit more
thickly over the top than over the sides.
Allow the cake to stand for an hour or so, then store as before, wrapped
in a layer of greaseproof paper followed by a layer of foil.

SOFT ICING
About 12 oz sieved icing sugar
a small piece of vegan dairyfree margarine
juice of half a lemon
2 drops of vanilla essence

Mix the ingredients together to obtain a stiff, not runny mixture, that
can be spread over the whole cake by hand and/or with a spatula (dipped in
hot water if necessary, and dried) to give a spiky or a smooth surface, as
required. Allow to dry. Then lower the cake, unwrapped but in a broad
sling of folded greaseproof paper for lifting purposes, into the airtight
container (apply flat Merry Christmas signs carefully at this point) and
leave ideally for 3 days before cutting.

[vava]

http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk/getrecipe.php?section=christmas&recipe=fruit_cake
I didnt look in christmas i looked in cakes :o thank you POB! I have the one from your recommendation in the oven as we speak - I will tell you what I think later and if it is good - try to post photie!

[Gorilla]

Rich Cherry Fruitcake

8oz self-raising flour
4oz sugar
2oz glace cherries
6oz mixed dried fruit
5floz vegetable oil
8floz water
1tbsp mixed spice
dash of lemon juice or vinegar
brandy or rum to taste (optional)

put everything except the oil, water and alcohol in a large bowl and stir together until all the ingredients are well acquainted.

add the oil, water and alcohol (if using). mix briefly, then pour into a greased cake tin.

bake for 40 mins at gas mark 4, then turn the oven down to gas mark 2 and bake for a further 40 mins.

i guess this is fairly similar to the one Pob posted. it's from the Cake Scoffer. :)

[vava]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2628359886_942b2a4da0.jpg

:thumbsup: thank you so much POB for the link - this cake is fabulous - real "stuff it in yer gob", cake! Moist and yummy - oops must run got cake to eat.:)

[Pob]

Wow that looks fab! Which cake was that in the end? The parsleysoup or veganvillage one?

[vava]

Wow that looks fab! Which cake was that in the end? The parsleysoup or veganvillage one?
Vegan village one - so easy shove everything in a bowl - stir - plonk batter in tin - and tin in oven - smell the gorgeous aromas - go back after 2 hours and voila!:)

[Gorilla]

that does look good vavavegan. :)

[alisont]

I feel some cake baking coming on soon:) Looks fab!

[Linxie]

Thanks for the recipes everyone. I'm gonna try some out and give them to my friend to sample!

[Gorilla]

this is the cake made to the recipe i posted above:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m83/Gorilla_31/cake.jpg

it didn't last long! :)

[Daffodil]

nice link...i'm gonna try this one...got a few bananas here on the turn....
http://www.parsleysoup.co.uk/getrecipe.php?section=cakes&recipe=banana_cake