The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (2024)

A healthy Christmas cake recipe that’s gluten free and grain free. Made with almond flour, dried fruit, mixed spices and a little orange zest for a lovely authentic festive feel.

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (1)

Make a healthy Christmas cake this holiday season, that the whole family will enjoy on Christmas Day.

Nothing is more ‘festive’ than a fruit cake! Whilst traditional recipes aren’t always the healthiest, we’ve got you covered with a completely delicious and balanced option.

There’s no added sweetener in this cake; the dried fruit ensure it is naturally sweetened. Even better, it’s pretty easy to make!

I have the easiest gluten free Christmas cake recipe for you this festive season! If you need a healthy Christmas cake to whip up this Christmas I would highly recommend giving this recipe a try.

All you need to do is make sure you’ve got all the ingredients on hand. When you want to whip up the cake all you have to do is add all ingredients into one bowl, mix it together until it’s well combined and then pop it into the oven. That simple!

There is nothing more satisfying than baking your own cakes, desserts and biscuits for Christmas.

This simple recipe creates a dense and moist fruit cake with a high ratio of fruit, which means you don’t need to use any extra sugar in the recipe.

If you need to cater to dietary preferences then we have you covered. This healthy Christmas cake is gluten free, vegan and grain free.

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (2)

We also use ground almonds instead of traditional white refined flours that make up most store bought cakes. The ground almonds are also gluten free and add moisture so we just need to add a small amount of or olive oil to make it complete.

The dried fruit adds natural sweetness so there’s no need to add any refined sugars or sugar substitutes.

This healthy Christmas cake recipe is designed to be as simple and easy as possible because December is stressful enough already, without complicated recipes to worry about.

Easy recipes are the best especially this time of year.

You will love this gluten free healthy Christmas Cake recipe because:

  • Its quick and easy to make
  • has all the festive flavours
  • tastes incredible
  • only a few ingredients needed
The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (3)

What do you need to make gluten free healthy Christmas Cake Recipe?

  • ground almonds
  • mixed dried fruits
  • cinnamon
  • nutmeg
  • juice and zest from one orange
  • olive oil
  • eggs
  • walnuts
  • mixed spice

Is Christmas Cake Healthy?

It really depends on how you make it. Typical Christmas cake recipes contains butter, brown sugar and brandy making it quite heavy and not the healthiest cake around.

The healthy Christmas cake recipe featured in this post is high protein and low carb thanks to using almond meal, walnuts and egg. It contains no added refined sugar or heavy fats or oils.

Instead we use olive oil.

Is Christmas Cake High in Calories

The answer is yes Christmas Cake is high in calories. Particularly traditional fruit cake recipes which or high in fat and sugar.

Even a healthy Christmas fruit cake recipe like the one featured in this post is high calories due to the high dry fruits content.

Is it ok to eat unhealthy at Christmas?

Yes of course it is!

Allowing yourself to indulge over the holiday season will not impact your weight or health in the slightest. One day of unhealthy eating will not make you gain weight.

Throwing away your healthy eating for just one day won’t make you gain actual pounds. Although you will probably feel very bloated and in need of a nap!

What to serve with Christmas Cake?

Typically Christmas cake is eaten on it’s own. However it’s amazing paired with hot tea, ice cream or a glass of fizz.

You can decorate your Christmas cake with candied fruit and nuts. You could also brush a clear glaze of choice on top of the cake then allow to dry for a shiny, natural-looking top.

Can I make this Vegan?

I have not tried making this with flax egg, it should work although results maybe slightly different.m

If you enjoy this Gluten free healthy Christmas Cake recipe, check out these other healthy Christmas Recipes:

Festive Spiced Christmas Porridge Recipes

Christmas Spiced Orange Cranberry Bread

Healthy Cinnamon Star Biscuits

Spiced Christmas Tiffin

Sweet Spiced Cranberry Bread

The Best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (4)

Gluten Free Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe

Easy to make Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe.A healthy twist on a Christmas favourite. Gluten free and grain free

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 600 g mixed dried fruit
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • zest and juice from 1 orange
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 flax eggs/normal eggs
  • 200 g 2 cups ground almonds
  • 50 g walnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 150°C / 300°F,

  • Prepare a 20cm round cake pan with parchment paper lining the sides and the base.

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine dried fruit, spice, orange zest and juice, olive oil and eggs.

  • Add the almonds and walnuts and mix through.

  • Spoon Christmas cake batter into your baking tin.

  • Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check with a skewer to see if it comes out clean, if not bake for another 20 minutes.

  • Cover the top if necessary to prevent over-browning.

  • Cool, then remove from the tin and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Keyword christmas cake, fruit cake, gluten free, healthy christmas recipe, vegan

If you Love this Clean Eating Christmas Cake then you will also enjoy

Check out these healthy Christmas Recipes

Cranberry Orange Cookies

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (5)

Spiced Christmas Chocolate Tiffin Recipe | Vegan + Gluten Free

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (6)

The Best White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies (Healthy)

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (7)

Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins (Easy , healthy, gluten free)

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (8)

Festive Christmas Porridge Recipe

I hope you enjoy this gluten free healthy Christmas Cake recipe. What are your favouriteChristmas Recipes?

Follow me on Social Media to stay updated

Love Hayley x

Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|Pinterest|Bloglovin |YouTube

The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (9)
The Best Healthy Christmas Cake Recipe (Gluten Free) - Nourish Your Glow (2024)

FAQs

How to make a healthy Christmas cake? ›

Ingredients Method
  1. 600g mixed dried fruit or a mix of the following (raisins, apricot, sultanas)
  2. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
  3. 1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract or paste.
  4. ¼ teaspoon nutmeg.
  5. zest and juice from 1 orange.
  6. 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
  7. 3 organic eggs.
  8. 200g (2 cups) ground almonds.

Is Christmas fruit cake healthy? ›

It is packed with energy: Christmas cake has a high ratio of fruits to flour and hence is packed with nutrients. On the flip side, this isn't a cake you want to snack on as it can also increase your waistline. Naturally dried fruits are the key to a good Christmas cake: Christmas cake is said to be an acquired taste.

How to make gluten-free more moist? ›

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

How to stop gluten-free cakes from crumbling? ›

One of the most common gluten-free baking tips is “let your batter rest”. Letting the batter rest gives the gluten-free flours and starches more time to absorb the moisture. In theory, it will turn your dry, crumbly cakes into delicious, moist masterpieces.

What is the healthiest cake to eat? ›

Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is healthy because It does not contain egg yolk and butter. Without egg yolk and butter these cakes are low on calories and fats. A single slice of Angel Food Cake contains just almost around 70 calories.

What keeps Christmas cake moist? ›

The popular custom of feeding the cake periodically with small amounts of alcohol can help to keep the cake soft and add extra flavour. This is done using a pointed teaspoon or cake syringe. Lighter spongier fruit cakes, which contain less sugar, can also be fed although they will not keep so long.

Does fruit cake raise blood sugar? ›

Traditional fruit cakes are high in maida (refined flour), trans-fats and refined sugar, which are not advisable for weight-watchers and diabetics as they increase the glycaemic index.

What is the difference between fruit cake and Christmas cake? ›

Christmas cakes are also commonly made with pudding while a fruit cake uses butter, however there are Christmas cake recipes that do contain butter. The traditional Scottish Christmas cake, also known as the Whisky Dundee, is very popular. It is a light crumbly cake with currants, raisins, cherries and Scotch whisky.

Can you feed a Christmas cake everyday? ›

It is best to feed your cake, every fortnight from when it has been baked.

What to avoid for gluten free baking? ›

Some baking ingredients that contain gluten (and thus are not suitable for a gluten-free diet) include:
  • Wheat.
  • Semolina.
  • Spelt.
  • Durum.
  • Emmer.
  • Einkorn.
  • Rye, sometimes referred to as pumpernickel.
  • Barley.
Mar 29, 2021

What is the secret of baking with gluten-free flour? ›

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

What helps gluten free cakes rise? ›

Gluten-free flour blends don't have the same elasticity as flour containing gluten so often the cakes don't rise as much or will sink after rising. To combat the flat cake problem, I add ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda to the recipe even when using a self-raising gluten-free flour blend.

Do gluten free cakes need more baking powder? ›

2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of gluten-free flour is necessary to ensure proper leavening. Baking soda and buttermilk can be used to leaven instead of baking powder, but 1-1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar should be added for each 1/2 teaspoon baking soda used.

Should gluten-free cake batter rest before baking? ›

Let Your Batters & Doughs Rest

We recommend covering your batters and doughs and letting them rest for at least half an hour. Note: This will also help batters become thicker and doughs to firm up.

Why are my gluten free cakes so dense? ›

If gluten-free cakes aren't falling apart, they often turn out heavy and unpleasantly dense. That's because gluten creates little pockets of air, so baked goods turn out springy and fluffy; gluten-free flours and grains are lacking this crucial element.

Can a diabetic eat Christmas cake? ›

Healthy eating for people with diabetes is the same as for everyone else. All of the traditional Christmas foods such as mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake can still be enjoyed but just don't eat too many or too much in one go.

What is a healthy alternative to birthday cake? ›

Healthy Alternatives to Baking Birthday Cakes
  • Funfetti Cake Batter Baked Oatmeal.
  • No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake.
  • Paleo Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.
  • GoNanas Not-so-traditional Banana Breads.
  • Apple Donuts Birthday Stack.
  • Crackly Banana Bread Ice Cream Sandwiches.
May 27, 2021

Can you eat Christmas cake with high cholesterol? ›

Crisps, cakes and pastries all contain saturated fat and will raise your cholesterol.

How many calories are in a Christmas cake? ›

Christmas Cake: A slice of cake with marzipan and icing will set you back 200 calories and 30g sugar (7tsp).

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rubie Ullrich

Last Updated:

Views: 5753

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rubie Ullrich

Birthday: 1998-02-02

Address: 743 Stoltenberg Center, Genovevaville, NJ 59925-3119

Phone: +2202978377583

Job: Administration Engineer

Hobby: Surfing, Sailing, Listening to music, Web surfing, Kitesurfing, Geocaching, Backpacking

Introduction: My name is Rubie Ullrich, I am a enthusiastic, perfect, tender, vivacious, talented, famous, delightful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.