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Festive fruit & nut flavours combine in this deliciously rich & moist Raw Vegan Fruit Cake. A fabulous alternative to traditional baked Christmas cake & so easy to make!





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I love Christmas and some of my favourite recipes are my Christmas ones. My Ultimate Vegan Christmas Pudding and my Vegan Brandy Butter are two of my favourite recipes ever and this Raw Vegan Christmas Cake is up there with them too.

I had been planning to make a traditional baked Christmas cake to share with you before the big day. Then a couple of months ago I was experimenting with a kind of festive Larabar type treat.

Ingredients were combined and left to set in the fridge and when I tried the finished bars I discovered that they tasted like Christmas cake. That was when I had the idea of attempting a Raw Fruit Cake based on the Larabar recipe I had been developing.

So this cake came about accidentally but let me assure you that it is a very good, very worth-making accident.

This Raw Vegan Fruit Cake is a delicious alternative to traditional baked Christmas cake. It is dense with dried fruit and nuts, rich, moist and has the most amazing soft, chewy and crunchy texture.

It is also really easy to make and completely fool proof.

And of course as it is raw there is absolutely no baking involved! Such a festive win!

This Raw Vegan Fruit Cake contains absolutely no flour, no eggs and no dairy which makes it vegan and safe for those who are dairy and gluten intolerant.

It also keeps for weeks if wrapped well and stored in the fridge. I love that aspect of it!

HOW TO MAKE RAW VEGAN FRUIT CAKE

FOR FULL & DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST

STEP 1

Blend up the maple syrup, coconut oil, dates, spices, vanilla bean powder, salt & almonds.

STEP 2

Spoon out and into a large bowl then add all of the other ingredients. Stir really well to combine.

STEP 3

Spoon into a lined cake pan and flatten down the top. I like to use a square 8 x 8 inch pan like this one:

USA Pan are always my first choice when it comes to bakeware and theya ren't sponsoring this or anything. I just love their pans!

STEP 4

Cover and put in the fridge overnight or for about 12 hours.

STEP 5

Turn out, slice and dust with cocoa or powdered sugar before serving.

That's it. So easy!

Everyone who has tried this Raw Vegan Fruit Cake raved about how good it is. Please don't be put off by it being raw. None of my ready and willing testers even noticed and all of them went back for seconds...or thirds.

The list of ingredients is somewhat long but it is so easy to throw together and please feel free to sub any of the dried fruit for whatever you like or have on hand. You do however need to include the dates and I would strongly advise using the dried figs as they are a key ingredient. Without them the taste, texture and structure would suffer. The other dried fruits are very flexible as long as you end up using the same overall quantity.

This Raw Vegan Fruit Cake is:

Easy

Healthy

Quick to make

Festive

Great for making ahead

and loved by everyone!

I think that this is one of my favourite recipe creations so far and I am so excited to share it with you! Please let me know what you think in the comments below and tweet or Instagram me your pictures. I am @avirtualvegan on both. Use the hashtag #avirtualvegan on Instagram.

If you are looking for more festive recipes then be sure to check out the holiday section in my recipe index. You can find it here.

Raw Christmas Fruit Cake Melanie McDonald Festive fruit & nut flavours combine in this deliciously rich & moist Raw Vegan Fruit Cake. A fabulous alternative to traditional baked Christmas cake & so easy to make! 4.88 from 16 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 25 mins Total Time 25 mins Course Cake, Dessert Cuisine vegan Servings 30 slices Calories 273 kcal Ingredients 1x 2x 3x 360g | 2 packed cups medjool dates , weighed without pits, (See recipe notes) 360g | 2 packed cups medjool dates , weighed without pits, (See recipe notes)

200g | 1 cup coconut oil (unrefined or refined coconut oil is fine) 200g | 1 cup coconut oil (unrefined or refined coconut oil is fine)

240g | 2 cups ground almonds , or almond meal 240g | 2 cups ground almonds , or almond meal

120mls | 1/2 cup maple syrup 120mls | 1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (It may seem expensive to buy but a package lasts for a very long time as you do not need much. If however you would rather not use it or you can't find it, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead). 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (It may seem expensive to buy but a package lasts for a very long time as you do not need much. If however you would rather not use it or you can't find it, use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead).

1 orange zest of 1 orange zest of

1 lemon zest of 1 lemon zest of

30g | 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 30g | 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

125g | 1 cup chopped pecans 125g | 1 cup chopped pecans

115g | 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts , or almonds 115g | 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts , or almonds

30g | 1/4 cup walnut pieces 30g | 1/4 cup walnut pieces

150g | 1 cup raisins 150g | 1 cup raisins

150g | 1 cup dried cranberries 150g | 1 cup dried cranberries

145g | 3/4 cup dried apricots , chopped 145g | 3/4 cup dried apricots , chopped

150g | 1 heaping cup dried chopped figs 150g | 1 heaping cup dried chopped figs INSTRUCTIONS Add the maple syrup, coconut oil, dates, spices, vanilla bean powder, salt & almonds to a food processor. or blender. Process until smooth. Add the maple syrup, coconut oil, dates, spices, vanilla bean powder, salt & almonds to a food processor . or blender . Process until smooth.

Spoon out into a large bowl. Spoon out into a large bowl.

Pour all of the other ingredient into the bowl and mix well. This is quite hard work but it will come together. Pour all of the other ingredient into the bowl and mix well. This is quite hard work but it will come together.

Line a tin with baking parchment. One that you would cook something like brownies in. I used my square USA Pan which is 8'x8'. Line a tin with baking parchment. One that you would cook something like brownies in. I used my square USA Pan which is 8'x8'.

Scrape the mixture into the tin and press down all over well.Use a spatula or the palm of your hand. Scrape the mixture into the tin and press down all over well.Use a spatula or the palm of your hand.

Cover and put in the fridge for at least 12 hours. Cover and put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Remove from the pan and slice. Remove from the pan and slice.

Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder before serving. Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa powder before serving. NOTES Store leftovers well wrapped in the fridge. They will keep well for up a couple of months. Medjool dates are softer than regular dried dates.You can usually find them in the produce department of grocery stores. If you can't find them, you may use regular dried dates but soak them in warm water for 15 minutes first to soften them up a bit. Make sure to drain them very well after their soak. NUTRITION Serving: 1 serving Calories: 273 kcal Carbohydrates: 28 g Protein: 4 g Fat: 18 g Sodium: 44 mg Fiber: 4 g Sugar: 21 g Vitamin A: 100 IU Vitamin C: 1.7 mg Calcium: 50 mg Iron: 1.1 mg Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy only. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only. Tried this recipe? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan Get my Top 10 reader's favourite recipes e-Cookbook FREE!



