Classic Holiday Fruitcake (Raw)
A raw vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free twist on a holiday classic. This wholesome no-bake fruitcake is moist, sticky, and sweet, and full of flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 small loaf (4" x 6")
- Category: Cake
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup pitted dates, soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour, then strained (discard the water)
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 ¾ cups almond meal*
- ¼ cup hazelnut meal*
- ¼ cup brazil nut meal*
- ½ cup fruit-sweetened orange marmalade (I used St. Dalfour)
- ½ cup diced dried prunes
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp almond extract
Optional Toppings:
- dried coconut milk powder for dusting, date syrup (or coconut syrup) for caramel sauce drizzle, extra pine nuts for garnish
Instructions
- Process all cake ingredients together in a food processor into a sticky uniform mixture (it should have a bit of a crumb to it -- careful not to over-process into a paste).
- Line a small bread loaf (or a dish of a similar size -- the one I used here is roughly 4" x 6") with parchment paper. Transfer the prepared cake mixture into the pan and press down with the back of a spoon so that it molds to the shape of the pan. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and press down some more with a flat-bottomed object (like another container) to compact the cake into the pan as much as possible.
- Freeze overnight (or for at least 6 hours) to set.
- When ready to serve, remove from pan, dust with coconut milk, drizzle with caramel syrup, and garnish to your liking. Thaw out on the counter slightly (10 mins or so), slice and serve. Store leftovers in the freezer.
Notes
*If you can't find nut meal for sale at the shops (usually can be found in bulk food shops, health food stores or aisles, or sometimes in the regular baking section), you can make your own nut meal by grinding nuts down in the food processor to a very fine consistency. Just be careful not to over-process the nuts into a nut butter! :) On average 1 cup of nuts grinds down to about ¼ cup meal. You can also substitute other nuts if almonds, hazelnuts, or brazil nuts aren't available, for example (I just chose those for their flavor, and because that's what was accessible, but other flavorful nuts like pecans or pistachios, for example, would work well too). Note: if you need more assistance with making your own nut flours, there's a detailed chapter on the subject in my book Unconventional Treats with further information.