Rudolph Reindeer Cake from Bonne Maman

Ingredients

400g mixed dried fruit

300ml dry cider or apple juice

225g stoned whole dates

1 tbsp mixed spice

2 tbsp Bonne Maman Apricot, Mirabelle Plum or Fig Conserve

1 large ripe banana

finely grated zest 1 orange and 1 lemon

120g fine polenta

2 tsp baking powder (use gluten-free baking powder if wished)

2 large egg whites or 5tbsp chilled aquafaba, if you wish to make a vegan or egg free version.

2 tbsp brandy or dry sherry, optional

Metod

Put the dried fruit in a large mixing bowl and pour in 100ml of the cider or apple juice. Leave to soak overnight.

Heat the oven to 180C, 160C fan, gas 4. Line an 18cm round, 10cm deep cake tin or 6 small 220g baked bean tins with baking parchment.

Put the dates, spice, conserve and remaining 200ml cider or apple juice into a saucepan and simmer gently for 5 mins. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

In a blender or processor, puree the date mixture with the banana. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the citrus zest, soaked dried fruit, polenta and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites or aquafaba into soft peaks and fold into the fruit mixture. Spoon into lined cake tins.

Bake for 25-30 mins for individual cakes or 45-50 mins for a large one, covering with foil after 30 mins. A skewer pushed into the centre of the cake should come out clean when it's cooked.

Drizzle the brandy or sherry over the hot cake, if using, then leave to cool in the tin. The cooked cakes keep well, wrapped in clingfilm and foil, in an airtight tin for up to 3 days, or can be frozen undecorated.

Run, run Rudolph all the way to Morrisons for your free carrots!

Rudolph and all the other hard-working reindeer who haul Santa's sleigh should visit Morrisons stores to pick up their free carrots. Or if they are too busy they can send a human friend to collect them on their behalf.

Morrisons is spreading the festive cheer by giving away over 175,000 wonky carrots across all its supermarkets to help customers prepare for Rudolph’s visit. 

British wonky carrots are oversized or misshapen but still taste absolutely delicious, and these free, festive favourites are available to collect for free from the front of all 496 Morrisons stores between tomorrow, the 22nd until 24th December. 

By giving the carrots away, Morrisons hopes to encourage families to choose wonky vegetables more often to help cur down on food waste as this produce would have otherwise been discarded.

During the festive period, Morrisons carrot sales more than double in the week before Christmas compared to the previous week, showing the Norse tradition of leaving food and drink out for Father Christmas and his reindeer is still as popular as ever.

Andy Todd, Carrot Buyer at Morrisons said: “The spirit of giving is what Christmas is all about, and we’re thrilled to help add a little bit of magic to our customers’ celebrations by giving them a delicious wonky carrot to leave out for Rudolph. Our tasty wonky range helps our British farmers reduce waste and offer customers a delicious alternative at a fraction of the cost, too"

Launched back in 2015, Morrisons Naturally Wonky fruit and vegetables helps to minimise food waste and offers affordable produce to customers. The range includes 24 wonky varieties including potatoes, carrots and parsnips. In the last 12 months, nearly 27,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables were sold this way. (I have admit my wife and I are partial to their wonky grapes!)