Image Source: Taming Twins

Without cake it’s just a meeting. So not taking much of your time, I am sharing some of my favorite Christmas  cake recipes. Enjoy!

1. Orange Raspberry Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

 Powdered sugar and fresh raspberries (optional)

Recipe

Preheat oven to 200-degree Centigrade. Lightly grease the bottom of a round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment. Grease and lightly flour pan; set aside.

For cake:

In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and keep it aside.

In another medium sized mixing bowl beat 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the butter with a mixer on medium to high until combined.

Add 1 egg and the vanilla. Beat on low to medium for 1 minute.

Alternatively you can add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture, beating just until combined after each addition, keep it aside for a while.

For cheesecake filling:

In a small mixing bowl beat cream cheese and remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar on medium to high until combined. Add orange peel and remaining egg; beat until combined.

Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading to edges. Pour filling over batter, spreading to edges. Dollop remaining batter on filling, carefully spreading to edges of pan.

Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed.

Gently press raspberries into cake. Bake 25 to 30 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Loosen edges of cake from pan; remove from pan. Serve warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with additional raspberries.

2. Ginger Bread Christmas Cake

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole grain flour

3/4 cup palm sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 teaspoons of Gingerbread Spice Mix

1 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup grape seed oil

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 200-degree Centigrate and line the bottom of two baking dishes with parchment paper

Sift the flour and mix together well all the dry ingredients in one large bowl.

Combine together all the wet ingredients in another bowl and pour into the dry ingredients.

Let stand for 10-15 minutes, or until you prepare the pans.

Distribute the mixture evenly amongst two pans and place in the oven on the middle rack.

Bake 15-18 minutes or until toothpick-dry

Remove from the oven and let rest for 2-3 minutes then lift out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

3. Apple Christmas Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

450 grams apples, roughly chopped

200 grams dates

100 g raisins

4 large eggs, beaten

150 grams whole grain flour, plus a teaspoon extra

100 grams ground almonds

1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

a good grating of nutmeg

2 tablespoon pine nuts

2 tablespoon sugar

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 180-degree Centigrade. Grease the base of a round cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. Place the apples in a food processor with the dates, butter and half the raisins and blend until combined. Mix in a third of the beaten eggs.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Add a third to the apple mixture and combine, then continue adding and combining the egg and flour mixtures in alternating batches until all mixed together. Finish by folding through the remaining raisins then pour into the prepared cake tin.

Combine the pine nuts, sugar and extra teaspoon of gluten-free flour in a bowl and scatter over the cake mixture. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until golden and cooked through. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.