Summer Christmas Cake

from Chef Craig Rodger

I have to say, being Scottish I’m more familiar with scarves and chest colds than sun, sea and sand for Christmas. But it’s New Zealand, and it’s summer-time! So instead of fighting it, I’m embracing the warmer festive season with my lighter take on the classic Christmas cake. It features a couple of the usual suspects like some warming rum and citrus peel but I’ve leaned towards fresh summer fruit with strawberries and cherries – which are just too good at this time of year to pass up on.

Ingredients:

• 225g Butter, softened
• ⅓ Cup (75g) Natvia (xylitol/stevia/erythritol granules)
• 4 Eggs
• 2 cups (225g) LSC (Linseed, Sunflower and Chia powder – generally available at your local supermarket)
• Vanilla extract to taste
• 1 Lemon zest
• 1 Orange zest
• ¼ cup mixed nuts, chopped (optional)
• ½  cup Cherries (stoned and roughly chopped)
• ½  cup Strawberries (tops removed and roughly chopped)
• 2 tbsp (30ml) Rum (optional)
• ½ tsp (1.3g) cinnamon
• ½ tsp (1.3g) mixed spice
• 2 tsp (10g) Baking powder

Method:

In a mixer, cream the butter and the Natvia until pale and fluffy. Keep mixing on slow and add the eggs one egg at a time. Fold the remaining ingredients through and pour the mixture into a lined cake tin. Bake in a pre-heated oven set to 170C – 180C for approximately 20 minutes. Check the cake is ready by carefully piercing into it with a skewer, the skewer should come out clean or at most a tiny bit sticky. 

Additionally, you could drizzle another 15ml rum over the cake once baked and still warm.