Vegan Christmas cake

Plump and succulent fruit, perfectly spiced crumb and the perfect balance of nuts and citrus, all topped with marzipan and wrapped in fondant icing. This is the perfect vegan Christmas cake.

You don't need eggs, dairy or animal fat to make this Christmas cake and it can be made in a single bowl, so it's the perfect project to take on in the days running up to Christmas and absolutely wow your friends.

To start, you'll beat plant butter, black treacle and light soft brown sugar together, then add chia seeds that have been soaked in water - the chia seeds are your "eggs" that will bind everything together.

You'll then pile in the rest of the ingredients, mixing as you go: the flour, ground almonds, spices and citrus zest; the citrus juice and plant milk; and finally the mixed fruit, mixed peel, glacé cherries and flaked almonds. YUM.

The trick to getting a really good final texture to this fruit and nut packed vegan Christmas cake is baking low and slow - 3 to 3.5 hours, to be precise. That way, your cake will be beautifully rich and set all the way through.

Once your cake is baked and cooled, you'll follow the detailed steps to cover and decorate your cake.

Here's the full recipe for my gorgeous vegan Christmas cake.

Instructions

Prepare your chia "egg"

Put the chia seeds in a bowl.

Add 150ml (5 fl oz) of water. Stir, then pop in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Prepare your Christmas cake tin

Prepare your baking tin by greasing and then triple lining with two layers of baking paper on the inside and one layer of brown paper on the outside.

For step-by-step images showing how to do this, follow my foolproof guide to lining a Christmas cake tin.

Make your Christmas cake

Preheat the oven to 140C (120C fan).

Put the plant butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Cream together until slightly pale and fluffy.

Add the chia seed mixture and treacle.

Mix in. 

Add the flour, ground almonds, mixed spice, nutmeg, orange zest and lemon zest.

Fold through.

Add the lemon juice, orange juice and soya milk.

Stir in.

Add the mixed fruit, mixed peel, glacé cherries and flaked almonds.

Mix and make a wish!

Spoon your cake mix into your prepared tin and level off.

Cover the top with a piece of baking paper with a small hole in the centre. This protects the top of the cake from burning during the long, slow cook in the oven.

Bake your Christmas cake in the oven for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. It’s ready when a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cake to cool in its tin for 15 minutes, then transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cover your Christmas cake

When your cake has cooled, turn upside down so that the flat edge is on top and plce on a serving board.

If there are any holes or dips, fill them with a little bit of marzipan. 

Brush all over with a thin layer of apricot jam. This will help the marzipan stick.

Dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll your marzipan out. Use the bottom of your cake tin as a guide to cut our a disc shape the same size as your cake.

Gently lay the marzipan on top of the cake.

Wipe your work surface and rolling pin to clear away any marzipan remnants, then dust with icing sugar again. Roll your white sugar paste out so that it is, large enough to cover the whole cake and down the sides with a little to spare.

Roll the sugar paste over your rolling pin, then gently lay on top of the cake, smooth off down the sides with the palm of your hand. Trim the base with a sharp knife.

Decorate your cake

You can now use your white fondant offcuts, plus you selection of coloured fondant icing to create a 2D or 3D Christmas scene. 

I made three baubles, a sprig of holly and a little gingerbread man, fixed in place with a dab of cold water on a paint brush.

Your cake is now ready to slice and serve. Isn't it beautiful?

Enjoy!

Pointers, tricks and troubleshooting tips for the perfect Vegan Christmas cake

Is Vegan Christmas cake easy to make?

This recipe should be super easy to make, as it’s very much a ‘put it all together and cook’ recipe. There are no technical points to watch like whisking of egg whites or tempering chocolate. As long as you cream your vegan butter and sugar well and add the ingredients in the right stages then it should come together very easily, making it a perfect recipe to make with as a family!

If you haven’t made a vegan recipe before then you might be apprehensive, but just because it has the ‘V word’ doesn’t mean it’s more complicated! This recipe uses vegan butter instead of dairy butter. Vegan butter looks acts and tastes just like butter, and is available in most supermarkets, and you may already use vegan spread without realising it (Flora, Stork). As for the egg replacement, it’s just leaving a few chia seeds and water - again nothing difficult or technical.

As for decoration, fondant icing is very easy to work with. So it’s just a case of rolling it out neatly and cutting out the shapes neatly. 

As always, if you aren’t sure your cake is looking quite right you can always check the photos that go along with the recipe above. And if you have any questions, hopefully, I’ll answer them in this section! If not, feel free to get in touch! Or, if you got on without any difficulty, remember to send me a pic of your bake!

Will I need any special equipment for this Vegan Christmas cake recipe?

Most of the equipment you’ll need for this recipe is pretty standard kitchenware (bowls, spoons, scales, baking paper, cake tin, rolling pin etc.) 

For the citrus, you’ll need a juicer and a zester. You might not have an old school juicer like this one, so it’s fine to squeeze your lemon and orange juice by hand - just make sure you do it over a sieve to catch any stray pips! As for the zest, most cheese graters are at least 4 sided and the smallest side (with holes like this)  is usually suitable for grating citrus zest. 

If you’re unsure, there’s a full list of suggested equipment on the recipe card below with some links so you can find examples of what you need.

Is Vegan Christmas cake suitable for vegetarians?

Yes, this recipe is ideal for vegetarians. Vegetarians don’t eat meat, fish or poultry while vegans don’t eat meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, egg or honey. So this is super safe for vegetarians to eat!

If you’re new to vegan cooking or making this for a loved one, just remember to double-check all of your ingredients labels to make sure that they’re suitable for vegetarians. This goes for any sauces or sides you want to serve it with too!

Is Vegan Christmas cake suitable for vegans?

The clue is in the name! Yes, this Vegan Christmas cake is perfect for vegans. The recipe is very similar to a classic Christmas cake recipe, only it swaps the butter and eggs for vegan alternatives. So it won’t lose any of that traditional festive flavour!

If you’re making this for a loved one, you should remember to check all of your ingredients labels to make sure that they’re suitable for vegans. For example, sometimes sweets contain pork or beef gelatin, or candied foods can contain products derived from insects.

So you should double-check that the fondant icing you use is vegan and vegetarian. Sometimes icing can contain a food colouring that is made from animal-derived ingredients. These ingredients will most likely be listed as an E number. Luckily the Vegetarian Society has a clear and useful list of ingredients to avoid here.

And remember, this goes for any sauces or sides you want to serve it with too! There are plenty of vegan alternatives to cream, custard or ice cream which would go perfectly with this cake.

Is Vegan Christmas cake gluten-free?

While this Vegan Christmas cake isn’t gluten-free (as it contains wheat flour), it would be a good recipe to adapt for a gluten-free diet. This is because the cake doesn’t need to rise and sometimes gluten-free flour can struggle to rise.

I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but I would recommend that you use a good quality gluten-free flour blend. The best gluten-free flours will usually be made from a blend of different flours like rice flour, and oat flour, raising agents and a binding agent such as xanthan gum.

There are so many great gluten-free flour alternatives available in supermarkets. Just make sure to use a gluten-free flour blend that doesn’t contain a raising agent, as this recipe calls for plain flour. 

Double-check all of your ingredients labels to make sure that they are gluten-free. Don't forget to also check anything extra you intend to serve the recipe with.

Is Vegan Christmas cake keto-friendly?

Unfortunately, this Vegan Christmas cake is not keto-friendly. The recipe for this Vegan Christmas cake contains wheat flour and a lot of sugar, which would make it too high in carbohydrates for a ketogenic diet. You could try the recipe with keto flour (almond might be good) and keto sugar and swap out some of the more sugary ingredients like molasses and glace cherries and forgo the icing. However, I haven’t tested it so you might need to do a bit of trial and error with any adaptations. Let me know how it goes if you make a vegan and keto Christmas cake!

Is Vegan Christmas cake healthy?

While this Vegan Christmas is mostly dried fruit, it still contains a fair amount of sugar and fat so it isn’t the healthiest treat. However, there’s nothing wrong with a treat, especially during the festive period!

Is Vegan Christmas cake safe to eat while pregnant?

This Vegan Christmas cake has no ingredients that would be a risk to a pregnant person. However, it is quite high in sugar. Some sources recommend you cut down on sugar to less than 30g a day (7 cubes of sugar) due to the risk of gestational diabetes. So if you’re following that advice it would be better to have a smaller slice!

If you’re cooking for someone who is pregnant or in a high-risk group (older people, young children and people living with long term medical conditions) you should make sure all of your ingredients are in good condition and you prepare food safely and hygienically.

A Mummy Too does not offer medical advice. Please seek help from a medical professional if you need further information or have any concerns.

What goes well with Vegan Christmas cake?

Most people eat Christmas cake on its own as it’s so moist and full of flavour. This recipe will give you a moist vegan Christmas cake that would be fine to eat alone, but vegan cream, custard or ice cream might help cut through the richness. 

Many dairy product brands like Ben and Jerry's or Elmea have their own versions of vegan ice cream and cream which are available in supermarkets. Or if you can’t find one in store they’re usually available from online health food retailers like Whole Foods or online vegan grocery retailers.

Somewhat weirdly, in Yorkshire, UK, Christmas cake is often eaten with a slice of cheese! While this isn’t suitable for a vegan, maybe you could recreate it with vegan cheese. If you want to try it like this, then this wine soaked nut cheese might complement the flavours nicely.

Can I make Vegan Christmas cake without dried fruit?

This Vegan Christmas cake is mostly dried fruit, so if you removed the dried fruit there wouldn’t be much left! If you want a Christmas flavour but you aren’t a huge fan of fruitcake, why not try a vegan version of my Christmas pudding cupcakes which are low in dried fruit but packed full of festive flavour. 

How should I store my Vegan Christmas cake?

Once you’ve decorated your cake and it’s nicely sealed under the fondant icing, you can keep it in a sealed container to protect the cake from drying out. You can keep the cake in a cool dark spot, in the cupboard or pantry. 

However, I wouldn’t recommend storing it in the fridge as this can cause the fondant icing to become soggy.

How long does Vegan Christmas cake keep?

Like a non-vegan Christmas cake, this Vegan Christmas cake can keep for quite a while when stored correctly. 

While it doesn’t contain alcohol like a traditional Christmas cake, it still contains a lot of sugar which acts as a preservative. So it should last for up to 2 weeks when stored correctly in a sealed container. 

Can I leave my Vegan Christmas cake out on the counter?

Yes, as long as it’s in a dark spot out of direct sunlight then it’s perfectly fine to keep your  Vegan Christmas cake on the counter. However, you should make sure that you keep it in an airtight container to avoid any moisture or pets getting to it.

Can I make Vegan Christmas cake ahead?

Yes, you can make your Vegan Christmas cake up to 2 weeks ahead. Your cake should stay nice and moist because of all the fruit and fat in it, however, the icing might dry out a little the longer you store it. So as ever, your recipe will always be at its best the fresher it is.

Can I keep my Vegan Christmas cake in the refrigerator?

You can keep your undecorated Vegan Christmas cake in an airtight container in the fridge. However, once it's decorated it would be best to keep it at room temperature in an airtight container. 

When a cake decorated with fondant icing is stored in the fridge the icing can become soggy and begin to look scruffy. This is because the lower temperature changes the way that moisture reacts in the air.

Can I freeze my Vegan Christmas cake?

Yes, this cake should freeze really well. However, if you freeze the fully decorated cake then it will probably look scruffy once it has defrosted because as it defrosts the colours in the fondant icing can run. So it’s best to freeze your cake undecorated and then decorate the defrosted cake on the day you want to serve it.

If you’re freezing it after serving then it’s a good idea to slice the cake into portions and freeze them individually. This will let you defrost slices as you need them, rather than defrosting ¾ of a cake at once.

The best way to freeze your full cake, or slices, is to wrap the cake or slice in a sandwich bag. This will prevent freezer burn (the frosty layer that appears on frozen food). Remember to label your frozen portions so you can keep track of when it was frozen. Your cake should keep for up to 3 months.

What is the best way to defrost my Vegan Christmas cake?

The best way to defrost your Vegan Christmas cake is to put it into an airtight container and leave it in the fridge overnight. 

It’s important to defrost your cake in the fridge, rather than leave it out on the counter overnight, as it isn’t being reheated. If you defrost food that isn’t going to be cooked again you need to make sure it’s kept at a low temperature to reduce the risk of bacterial spread.

Once defrosted, eat it within 24 hours and do not refreeze the cake. This is why it’s best to freeze the cake in slices, so you don’t end up defrosting more than you need. 

Can I make a Vegan Christmas cake in a different size?

Yes, if you want a smaller or bigger Christmas cake then I have a really helpful tool in the recipe card below that can help. 

If you scroll down to the recipe card you'll see the servings amount near the top. To change this to the number you want to make just click on it and a little slider will pop up. You can move the slider up or down to get the number of slices you want to make. All the ingredient quantities will update automatically for you so that everything is in the right ratios.

Can I make Vegan Christmas cakes in individual portions?

Yes, it could be a good recipe to cook in individual muffin cases or ramekins. The mixture should be very moist from the fruit and fat, so even in smaller or individual portions, the cake shouldn’t dry out. The original recipe is for one big cake, so the serving size is 16 slices, however, if you want to make it in individual portions just assume 1 slice = 1 portion. 

If you don’t want to make 16 individual portions you can use the slider tool as mentioned above.

Can I make this recipe in a different tin/tray?

Sure, if you want to make a different shaped Vegan Christmas cake that’s fine. Christmas cake is quite forgiving as it doesn’t rise, so it will come out of the oven in the same shape it went in.  As long as it’s roughly the same depth and size as the recipe states, i.e. a square tin, then it should cook in the same way and turn out just as moist and fruity. If you use a shaped tin or tray with smaller edge pieces or details they may dry out a little.

Can I make a Vegan Christmas cake in a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid or Kenwood Mixer?

Yes, you could use a stand mixer to cream together the dairy free butter and sugar. However, that’s the only step you’ll need to use a mixer for, as the rest of the cake mixture only needs to be gently folded in by hand. 

If you used a mixer to mix in your other ingredients you would probably end up mashing up the fruit, which could impact the way the cake cooks.

Can I make a Vegan Christmas cake with a food processor?

No, a food processor wouldn’t be suitable for mixing your Vegan Christmas cake mix. If you used a food processor the blades would blend up the fruit into a paste and the cake mix would become much more dense and difficult to cook.

Do I need to soak the dried fruit when I make a Christmas cake?

I haven’t soaked the dried fruit for this recipe but you can if you like. This helps make the cake even more moist and adds extra flavour if you soak the fruit in fruit juice. 

To soak your fruit you’ll need to weigh out your fruit the night before and cover with water, or fruit juice. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave for the fruit to absorb the liquid. Drain off any excess liquid before putting the fruit into the cake mix. 

This extra moisture may impact the cooking time, so give your cake a skewer test when you take it out of the oven just to double-check it’s cooked through.

How can I make sure my Vegan Christmas cake turns out perfectly?

If you want to make sure your Vegan Christmas cake is perfect you’re in luck, as this is an almost foolproof recipe!

As long as you cream together your dairy-free butter and sugar properly so there are no lumps and you make sure all of the ingredients are mixed together evenly, then your cake should turn out fine. 

This is a very moist cake so it will be difficult to burn or dry out. However, if it’s too wet or undercooked then you might be able to salvage it. Just cook it for a little longer and keep doing a skewer test until you know it’s cooked.

A skewer test is a way to check if your cake is cooked through properly. To test this you just poke the centre of your cake with a skewer or knife. If it comes out clean it’s cooked. If the skewer has uncooked cake batter clinging to it then you know the centre isn’t cooked through. 

When you cover and decorate your cake you’ll need to make sure that you roll out your marzipan and fondant icing into nice, smooth and even layers.

Use your cake tin as a size guide for the marzipan and you should have a perfect fit. It should be easy to drape your marzipan over your cooled cake, just make sure to fill in any dips or gaps in the cake with some spare marzipan first so the marzipan has a nice smooth surface to cling to.

When you roll out your fondant icing you should make sure you have a sheet of icing that will cover much more than the cake, this is so you can make sure it evenly covers the cake all the way around and you have offcuts for decoration.

As for decorating the cake, you can either follow the same decorations as I have in the photos, or you can freestyle and decorate it however you like. Fondant icing is super easy to work with so you could even let the kids make their own decorative shapes.

Why did my Vegan Christmas cake turn out wet/soft/dense?

If your Vegan Christmas cake turned out too wet or dense then it means it’s either undercooked or that the mixture didn’t have the correct ratio of ingredients. If you choose to soak your fruit then the cake will be moister than this recipe accounts for. 

Luckily, Christmas cake is very forgiving, so just cook the cake for 5-7 more minutes and do a skewer test. You can repeat this process until the skewer comes out clean.

If you find your bakes often come out undercooked then it may mean that your oven isn’t running at the right temperature. Sometimes household ovens are a bit inconsistent and run lower or higher than the dial states, especially if the fan isn’t working correctly. So it could be a good idea to buy an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the correct temperature. 

Why didn’t my Vegan Christmas cake rise?

This Vegan Christmas cake shouldn’t rise as it has no raising agent. The cake should be flat and remain in the same shape as when you put it in the oven. If your cake has risen then that’s an issue, as you’ll want a nice even layer to decorate the cake. So make sure you only use plain flour with no raising agent.

How can I add/change the flavours in my Vegan Christmas cake?

There are a few ways to change the flavours of this Vegan Christmas cake. Like a traditional Christmas cake, it gets most of its flavour from the fruits and spices you use. So you could start there by substituting fruits and spices. 

In this non-vegan recipe I swap out the traditional fruits for a more tropical flavour with pineapple and mango. So you could do the same here. For extra tropical flavour, you could soak your fruit in rum and even swap some of the ground almonds for desiccated coconut, as they behave similarly in cooking.

Or you could substitute some of the fruit with some chocolate chips because chocolate goes with everything!

What is the origin of Christmas cake?

Christmas cake is based on an old English dish called plum porridge. Plum porridge was a mixture of fruits, honey and spices that people would eat on Christmas eve, after a day of religious fasting, to line their stomachs for the Christmas feast ahead.

Eventually, someone thought to add cake ingredients to the mix and to boil or bake it, resulting in Christmas cake as we know it today. 

Christmas cake has a similar format to many cakes made popular during the 15-16th century, all with variations of dried fruit, sweetening and spices. According to some sources, the spices used in the cake are supposed to represent the spices that the wise men brought as gifts for Jesus. 

Some of the spices in Christmas cake would have been a relatively new commodity as it wasn’t until the 15th century that European- Middle East trade routes allowed for more imports of spices and other ingredients. So the reason Christmas cake (and other fruit cakes) became so popular may have been because of the novelty of spices like nutmeg, cinnamon or mace.

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