Ever needed a gluten free Christmas cake?  Here is a gluten free Christmas recipe that you may find useful.

Gluten Free Christmas Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 850g dried mixed fruit
• 1 cup brandy
• 150g butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1/4 cup gluten-free self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1/4 cup apricot jam

Directions:

1. Place dried fruit and 2/3 cup brandy in a large airtight container. Mix well.
2. Cover and stand overnight or preferably for 1 week, stirring occasionally.
3. Preheat oven to 150°C.
4. Lightly grease a 7cm deep, 20cm (base) round cake pan.
5. Line base and side with double layers brown paper and baking paper (see note).
6. Using electric beaters, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy.
7. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Sift flours and spices over butter mixture.
9. Add fruit mixture and stir until well combined.
10. Press mixture into pan. Smooth surface.
11. Decorate top with almonds.
12. Bake cake for 2 to 2 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
13. Pour remaining 1/3 cup brandy over hot cake.
14. Allow to cool completely in pan.
15. Place jam in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl.
16. Microwave on HIGH (100%) for 30 seconds or until warm.
17. Remove cake from pan and brush top with warm jam. Allow to set. Serve.

[Recipe Courtesy of Taste.com.au]

Here is a gluten free and sugar free chocolate cake that people will probably enjoy.

Gluten Free/Sugar Free Chocolate Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons almond flour
• 1/2 lb semisweet chocolate chunk (for cooking)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 egg yolks
• 5 egg whites (at room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a pan with butter and dust with cocoa powder. (do not tap out excess).
3. Combine melted chocolate and remaining butter.
4. Stir until smooth and combined.
5. In a large bowl combine the chocolate mixture with the almond flour, sour cream, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.
6. Stir until well-blended.
7. With an electric mixture, beat egg whites and salt until stiff glossy peaks form.
8. Add one-quarter of egg whites to the chocolate mixture to lighten.
9. Gently fold in the remaining whites until no white streaks remain.
10. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
11. Bake for 20 min or until cake has risen and is barely dry on the top.
12. A wooden tooth pick inserted should come out with a lots of moist crumbs.
13. Place cake, still in the pan, on a rack and cool until warm. Cake will fall dramatically.
14. Loosen edges of the cake with a knife and remove the pan sides.

This cake can be combined with the Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse and topped with toasted slivered almonds. Texture should be dense, moist and slightly fudgy.

[Recipe Courtesy of Recipe Zaar]

Well, today is officially my birthday, and in honor of my birthday here is an incredible recipe for a gluten free oreo cake.   Give it a try and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Gluten Free Oreo Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• One gluten free chocolate cake mix (Pamela’s or Namaste are good, Namaste is dairy free)
• One container prepared frosting (Gluten and Dairy free…we used Pillsbury milk chocolate flavor, which interestingly enough contains no milk!)
• One container Cool Whip (or other whipped topping)
• 10 Gluten Free Sandwich Cookies (we used K toos, best darn OREO substitue ever!)
• 1/2 bag gluten free chocolate chips (we used Sunspree).

Directions:

1. Follow the directions on the cake mix, and bake the cake in two 9 inch rounds.
2. Remove from pan and let cool.
3. While the cake is baking, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.
4. Once the cake is done, frost the sides and top of the first layer of cake.
5. Crush the cookies in a plastic bag (or pulse in a food processor) until you have coarse crumbs.
6. Mix the cookie crumbs in with the whipped topping, and spread the topping over top of the first cake.
7. Carefully set the second layer on top of the first, and frost the sides and top of that layer.
8. Take your cookie topper out of the freezer, and carefully peel the wrap off the bottom.
9. Quickly lay the topper on top of the cake, and press down gently to secure it in the frosting.

Here is a gluten free chocolate orange cake (and also flourless) that I wanted to share with you, as it has been receiving some GREAT reviews.

Gluten Free Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 small thin-skinned oranges, approx. 375g total weight (or 1 large)
• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 200 g ground almonds
• 250 g caster sugar
• 50 g cocoa
• orange peel (for decoration)

Directions:

1. Put the whole orange or oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft.
2. Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove any big pips.
3. Then pulp everything - pith, peel and all - in a food processor.
4. Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C Butter and line a 20cm springform tin.
5. Add the eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa to the orange in the food processor. Run the motor until you have a cohesive cake mixture, but slightly knobbly with the flecks of puréed orange.
6. Pour and scrape into the cake tin and bake for an hour, by which time a cake tester should come out pretty well clean. Check after 45 minutes because you may have to cover with foil to prevent the cake burning before it is cooked through, or indeed it may need a little less than an hour; it all depends on your oven.
7. Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold you can take it out of the tin. Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated zest if you so wish, but it is darkly beautiful in its plain, unadorned state.

[Recipe Provided Courtesy of Recipe Zaar]

Here is a recipe for a very interesting gluten free chocolate and banana cake that I thought some people might enjoy.

Gluten Free Chocolate & Banana Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 200ml apple juice
• 2 tbsp lemon juice & rind
• 1 organic egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup rice flour
• 1/3 cup corn flour
• 1/3 cup millet flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup 70% dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Baking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven.
2. Mix the mashed banana with the apple juice, lemon juice & rind. Add in the egg.
3. In another bowl, sift the flours, sugar & baking powder together. Combine together with the wet ingredients.
4. Add in the chopped chocolate & cocoa powder & mix well.
5. Pour into a pre-greased tin and bake for 40mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

[Recipe Courtesy of Tea Factory]