Oh my, I’m excited about this recipe. My parents came to stay in Manchester for a few days and as a treat, I made this absolutely delicious cake using some of my homemade, low sugar mincemeat I had in the fridge for a few weeks.
Chunky chestnuts, festive spices and an oaty, crunchy topping, this moist and decadent cake contains very little fat, no added sugar, is low in carbs and high in protein yet provides a satisfying taste sensation. They LOVED it. If you’re not a fan of the traditional dried fruit packed Christmas cake, this recipe is for you – a wonderful and healthier alternative!
Ingredients:
For the cake –
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 2 scoops PhD Nutrition Vanilla diet whey protein
- ½ cup coconut flour (I used Sukrin)
- ⅓ cup Sukrin Gold (brown sugar alternative)
- ½ tsp each of cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup cooked chestnuts, chopped (Merchant Gourmet are great)
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
- 6 tbsp homemade low-sugar mincemeat
For the oaty crunch topping –
- 4 tbsp rolled oats (I used Mornflake)
- 2 tbsp flaked almonds
- 2 tbsp walnut pieces
- 1 tbsp date nectar (Beloved)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (I used Lucy Bee)
Get baking!
- First preheat the oven to 190 degrees and grease and line a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Don’t skip this bit!
- Mix together the buckwheat flour, coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, spices, Sukrin Gold and chestnuts in a large bowl.
- Whisk the eggs well and add them to the dry ingredients, along with the milk, extract and mincemeat. Fold in gently until you have a smooth batter with the chunky elements of the chestnut and dried fruit in the mincemeat.
- Pour this into your prepared tin, smooth over evenly and bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the coconut oil and date nectar in a small pan then stir in the oats and nuts so you have a nice sticky oat mixture.
- Remove the cake from the oven – it should still be very soft and uncooked on the top. Scatter over the oat mixture to cover (you may have a little left over) and continue baking for another 45 minutes. Note: Keep an eye on the topping, you don’t want it to burn! Cover with tin foil after the next 10 minutes to make sure it goes golden while allowing the whole cake to cook all the way through.
- Once golden brown and cooked through, remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove from the tin and take off the base, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
