Christmas Cake Traybake – Slimming Friendly! Recipe
This Christmas Cake Traybake is a slimming-friendly festive treat, packed with mixed dried fruit soaked in spiced tea and brandy, enriched with pumpkin purée and warm spices. It yields a moist, flavorful cake perfect for holiday celebrations, with a lightly sweetened glaze and aromatic rosemary decoration.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 2 hours soaking time or overnight soaking if preferred)
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes (or up to overnight if soaking overnight)
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Low Calorie
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
- 450 g (1 lb) mixed dried fruit (raisins, currants, dried cranberries, etc.)
- 240 ml (1 cup) strong tea (black tea or herbal tea such as cinnamon)
- 2 tbsp brandy or spiced rum (optional)
- 250 g (2 ⅙ cups) pumpkin purée (see notes about homemade)
- 4 tbsp Sukrin Gold or brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Zest of 1 orange
- 100 g (¾ cup) wholemeal flour
- 100 g (¾ cup) plain flour (all purpose)
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- Pinch of cloves
Glaze (optional)
- 4 tbsp powdered Sukrin
- A little water
Decorations
- Rosemary sprigs
Instructions
- Soak the Fruit: Brew the tea using 3 black tea bags and let it steep for 5 minutes. Place the mixed dried fruit in a bowl, pour over the hot tea and add the brandy if using. Leave the fruit to soak for a couple of hours or until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the fruit is plumped. This can also be done overnight for convenience.
- Preheat and Prepare the Tin: Preheat your oven to 160°C (305°F) or 140°C (285°F) if using a fan oven. Mist a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin with cake release spray or grease it with flour, then line with baking parchment, allowing the edges to overhang slightly for easy removal.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a bowl, combine pumpkin purée, sweetener, lightly beaten eggs, and orange zest. Stir these ingredients together until well blended.
- Add Soaked Fruit: Stir the soaked dried fruit into the wet mixture, ensuring the fruit is evenly incorporated.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift together the wholemeal flour, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and a pinch of salt over the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly until there are no dry streaks.
- Fill the Tin: Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the top to create an even surface.
- Bake the Cake: Bake in the preheated oven for about 60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake feels firm to the touch.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven. Using the parchment edges, lift the cake out of the tin and place it on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare and Apply Glaze (Optional): Mix the powdered sweetener with a little water to create a drizzle-able glaze. Drizzle this glaze over the cooled cake.
- Decorate: Garnish the top of the cake with fresh rosemary sprigs for a festive touch.
Notes
- You can make your own pumpkin purée by roasting peeled and chopped pumpkin until soft, then mashing or blending it.
- Soaking the dried fruit overnight intensifies the flavor and texture of the cake.
- Using Sukrin Gold or another sugar substitute keeps the cake slimming-friendly without compromising sweetness.
- The glaze is optional but adds a lovely sweet finish to the cake.
- Ensure the cake is completely cooled before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting.
Keywords: Christmas Cake, Traybake, Slimming Friendly, Pumpkin Cake, Festive Dessert, Low Sugar Cake, Dried Fruit Cake
