Lee Holmes' Supercharged Healthy Christmas Fruit Cake

This cake can be made simply and easily with a minimum of fuss. Keep it handy for when friends drop in or wrap it for a party. You can add in whatever dried fruit combination you prefer. The fruit adds an element of natural sweetness so there's no need to add any refined sugars or sugar substitutes.

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Yields: 1 8 inch cake

Ingredients

• 1  cup  almond meal
• 1⁄3 cup  chopped walnuts
• 3  cups  mixed dried fruit (currants, cranberries, blueberries, raisins, figs, apricots, sultanas, cherries, dates)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  tablespoon  grated lemon zest
• 3  tablespoons lemon juice
• 4  tablespoons coconut milk
• 3  tablespoons walnut oil (or light olive oil)
• 3  eggs, lightly beaten
• 1⁄2 cup  whole  blanched almond (for decorating)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and line an 8 inch cake tin or springform pan with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl combine almond meal, chopped walnuts, dried fruit, spices, baking powder, soda, vanilla, salt and lemon zest.
3. In a separate bowl, place lemon juice, coconut milk, oil and eggs and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients to wet and fold through with a wooden spoon. Spoon the mixture into prepared tin then press the mixture down into the tin using your hands so that it is compact and tightly packed.
4. Bake for 1 hour on the middle shelf of the oven.
5. Open oven and placed blanched almonds on top in a decorative pattern and return to oven for 30 minutes.
6. Check cake with a skewer and remove the cake from the oven when the skewer comes out clean.
7. Let cool then carefully remove from tin or pan. Store in sealed container in fridge.