Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways (Gluten-Free Option)

This Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways is my new favourite festive cake, it is packed with mixed fruits and warming spices, wrapped up in marzipan and frosting. Plus, there are three flavours to choose from: Chocolate Orange; Cherry Almond; or Caramel Apple.

A few years ago, I would have told you that I don’t like Christmas cake but after a few experiments and nourishing vegan twists, I really love these small 4-inch cakes. I was challenged by Tala, a leading bakeware brand, to create three Christmas cakes and to dedicate each flavour to a friend or family member. So, I created a:

• Chocolate Orange Cake (for my mum who loves chocolate). It’s chocolatey and fruity like a terry’s chocolate orange and Christmas cake combined. Decorated with vanilla buttercream, chocolate spread ganache and fresh orange zest.
• Cherry Almond Cake (for my dad who is a cherry almond lover). It’s fruity and nutty like a festive Christmas cake and cherry Bakewell. Top this one with vanilla buttercream, fresh cherries, chopped almonds and cinnamon.
• Caramel Apple (for all my friends who have a thing for caramel). This is so special  and is gooey, sweet and sticky all decorated with vanilla buttercream, sticky cinnamon apples and caramel sauce.

• 

• 

• 

What do these Christmas cakes taste like?

These Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways are such showstoppers, they are:

• Packed with mixed fruits and peel
• Loaded with warming spices
• Nutty and fruity
• Coated in a delicious layer of marzipan
• Decorated with buttercream
• Easy to make in a few steps
• Fun to make as part of your festive traditions
• Great for all the family
• Easy to adapt to make your favourite flavour
• Last a while (without the buttercream)
• Small – they are 4-inch cakes but still feed a crowd

If you already love these Christmas cakes, scroll down for the recipe card below, or firstly let’s see what we need for these cakes.

What ingredients go into the base recipe for these Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways?

The base recipe for the three cakes is the same right up to the last part of the recipe:

• Orange: juice and zest for the festive flavour. To make these cakes alcoholic, you can use brandy instead of all or part of the orange juice. I tend to make these with orange juice and you get all the classic flavour.
• Chia seeds or flax seeds: grind your chia or flaxseeds before mixing with water to form a thick gel. This acts as our “egg” in this recipe.
• Mixed dried fruits: this is easy to find in the shops as a pre-made mix with mixed peel, too. Or you can make your own mix of dried fruits and chopped peel, too. Raisins, sultanas, currants, figs, dates… anything goes.
• Vegan butter: this adds a lovely buttery taste and texture to the cake once cooled. You could also try vegan margarine spread, too, but I have not tried these with coconut oil.
• Light brown sugar: I love the richer flavour of this sugar rather than white sugar. It adds a lot of the classic Christmas smells, too.
• Plain or GF plain flour: this keeps the cake lighter and moist, too. If you are using a GF flour, make sure the blend contains xantham gum to prevent it from crumbling. Unlike most cakes, these Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways don’t have much flour in at all.
• Ground almonds: this adds a lovely nutty and Christmassy taste to the cakes that is pretty delicious. You could use the grind of another nut like hazelnut or a seed, too. Grind up any nuts or seeds to a fine meal in a blender to make your own.
• Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda: for the rise.
• Cinnamon: for the warming Christmas flavour.
• Mixed spices: for a little bit more Christmas-ness.
• Vanilla: this always takes your bakes to the next level.

Now it’s time to add in the flavour ingredients to make these cakes even more special.

How do I make the flavours?

Into the base mix, just add:

• Chocolate Orange Cake: some chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and extra orange zest.
• Cherry Almond Cake: chopped cherries and flaked almonds.
• Caramel Apple: chopped dates add the caramel taste and chopped pecans and fresh apple finish it off.

Can I make this cake plain?

Yes, when I was first testing out this recipe, I made a more traditional cake. To the base recipe, simply add 30g more mixed dried fruits and 20g chopped walnuts or pecans per 4-inch cake.

Do I have to make three smaller cakes – can I make one larger cake?

To make this recipe, I did experiment with larger cakes, so you can certainly make one 20-cm or 8-inch cake with the recipe below – remember to multiple the specific cake flavour(s) by three. It will take much longer to bake, though. I suggest the first bake for 45 minutes then cover and turn down the oven for 60-90 minutes. Note that the caramel apple cake does take longer to cook anyway.

Are these Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways gluten-free and nut-free?

These cakes are easily gluten-free just make sure you use a GF flour blend that you usually bake with. To make these cakes nut-free, swap the ground almonds for ground seeds (blitz your sunflower or pumpkin seed to a fine meal like flour) and skip the nuts inside the cake, opting for seeds (or chocolate chips) instead.

Can I make these cakes ahead of time?

Most Christmas cakes are made 1-2 months before Christmas day to allow the flavours to infuse and these cakes are the same. To make these cakes a month or so ahead of time, once the cakes are cool, invert them and spike holes in the bottom. Pour over 1 tsp brandy per small cake and wrap tightly in parchment and tin foil. You can repeat this process every two weeks. When ready, prepare the marzipan and frosting.

I hope that answers all your Christmas Cake questions and I hope you will love all of these cakes. If you are looking for more festive bakes, how about my:

• Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Panettone
• Chocolate Orange Mousse Tart
• Vegan Chocolate Star Bread
• No-Bake Vegan Gingerbread Cheesecake
• Vegan Gingerbread Wreath and Shapes

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Easy Vegan Christmas Cake 3 Ways so please let me know what one is your favourite! I would love to see if you make these Christmas cakes, so please tag me in them – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Christmas cake love x