Ellesse's Healthy Christmas Cake

​YUMMY INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried white mulberries
• i cup cranberries
• 1/3 cup dried ginger
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs
• 1 cup walnuts roughly broken up into pieces
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• zest and juice of one orange
• 3 1/2 cups of almond meal or hazelnut meal
• 3 ripe bananas
• 15 medjool dates (seeds removed)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• pinch of pink himalayan salt

HOW TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease an 18cm round cake tin with butter or olive spray and baking paper.
Place the orange zest & juice, raisins, white mulberries, cranberries and dried ginger into a medium sized saucepan and heat until the juice starts to boil. Simmer for 5-10mins on a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Place the almond/hazelnut meal, bananas, dates, spices, vanilla and salt into the food processor or Thermomix and blend until well combined. Combine the raisin mixture and banana mixture in a large mixing bowl and add the cacao nibs, walnuts and coconut. Stir together gently until mixed well.

Pour the mix into prepared cake tin and smooth the top of the cake.. Bake for approximately 30 mins, then cover with foil and cook for a further 15 mins. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 30 mins before removing from the pan. Store in the fridge in a sealed container. Serve warm or cold with Ice cream of your choice! 

Written by Ellesse Hawkins