Here’s a great recipe – from across the pond – for a Christmas cake made with spelt flour.

This recipe is compliments of Cathy’s Spelt for Health, located in County Wicklow in Ireland.  Cathy says this recipe is easy enough for beginners. So if you haven’t attempted a spelt cake yet, maybe it’s time? Try it out, and let us know what you think.

(Oh, and for converting from metric, here’s a site that does all the work: http://www.metric-conversions.org/

Cathy’s Spelt for Health Spelt Christmas Cake

Cathy's Spelt for Health Spelt Christmas Cake

INGREDIENTS

12 oz/350g Margarine
12 oz/ 350g dark brown sugar
1lb/450g currants
12oz/ 350g rasins
5oz/ 150g cherries halved
5 oz / 150g mixes peel
5 oz/ 150g almonds blanched and chopped
Grated rind of two lemons
Grated rind of 1 orange

Sieve Together;
150z/ 425 g of white spelt flour
1 and a half level teaspoons of mixes spice
1 and a half level teaspoons of ground nutmeg

3 oz/ 75g ground almonds
7 eggs size 2
3 tablespoons of whisky

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to gas mark 2, 300 degrees F, 120 degrees C
  9 inch round baking tin
• Brush the tin with melted margarine and line the sides adn bottom with double grease proof paper
• Sieve together the 15 oz/ 450g of white spelt flour, 1 and a half level teaspoons of mixed spice, 1 and a half level teaspoons of ground nutmeg
• Place all the cake ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon umtil well mixed, 3-4 mins
• Place the mixture in the prepared tin and smooth out top with a wet spoon
• Bake in the preheated oven for 2 and a half hours approx depending on oven at 120 degrees on middle shelf
• Test the cake by pressing on top with spoon it shouls feel very firm and also with a skewer through the centre of the cake it should come out clean
• Once baked leave the cake to cool overnight in its tin and remove all paper and tin the next day
• To store your cake wrap it in grease proof paper and then tin foil!

Cooking time: 2 and a half hours