For many readers, Christmas is a feast of meat, cheese and chocolate, but with more people turning to a plant-based diet, there is a gap in the market for a festive vegan cookbook. Use the fabulous recipes included in this book to make sure everyone can sit at the table and enjoy some fantastic Christmas cooking.

Christmas is a time for everyone to come together,  where no one is left out, and where delicious food is shared amongst loved ones. This book is the perfect Secret Santa gift for your plant-based friends and family. Enjoy plant-based twists on all the iconic Christmas dishes and discover some new favourites. With easy-to-cook, fuss-free recipes packed with flavour and variety, A Very Vegan Christmas is the perfect holiday gift.

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Christmas Cake

A classic made vegan, you can bake the cake up to 2 weeks in advance and store undecorated and well wrapped in an airtight container for up to 1 week, during which time you can feed it with extra rum or brandy every now and then, depending on how boozy you want it, up until at least a couple of days before icing so that the surface is dry. It’s best to decorate it the day before serving so that the icing is thoroughly set. 

250 g (8 oz) vegan butter or coconut oil, plus extra for greasing

175 g (6 oz) soft light brown sugar

finely grated zest of 2 oranges and juice of 1 finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (reserve 1 tablespoon juice for the icing – see page 126)

150 ml (1/4 pint) rum or brandy, plus extra (optional) for feeding

875 g (13/4 lb) mixed dried fruit of your choice, such as sultanas, raisins, currants, cranberries and chopped figs and apricots

100 g (31/2 oz) chopped candied peel 

175 g (6 oz) plain flour

125 g (4 oz) ground almonds

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

225 g (71/2 oz) apple purée

Icing

625 g (11/4 lb) icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

75 ml (3 fl oz) aquafaba 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 tablespoons apricot jam

500 g (1 lb) vegan marzipan

Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3. Grease a deep 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin and line with nonstick baking paper.

Melt the vegan butter or coconut oil in a saucepan along with the brown sugar, citrus zest and juice and rum or brandy (if using). Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat. 

Add the dried fruit and candied peel to a large bowl, pour over the vegan butter/coconut oil mixture and stir well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt and spices. 

Mix the apple purée into the dried fruit mixture, then fold in the flour mixture until just combined.

Pour the cake batter into the lined tin, smooth the surface with a spatula and bake for 11/2 hours. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely in the tin. Once cooled, pierce holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer, drizzle over 2 tablespoons rum or brandy and let it soak in. Make sure the surface is fully dry before decorating.

When you are ready to decorate, whisk together the icing sugar, aquafaba and lemon juice in a large bowl until you have a stiff and glossy icing. Cover the bowl with clingfilm until needed.

Heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan, then brush over the top and sides of the cake. On a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll out the marzipan into a rough circle until about 2.5 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Lay carefully over the cake and gently smooth it on to the top and down around the sides so that there is no air trapped inside. Neaten by smoothing over with the flat of your palm or the rolling pin and trim away any excess.

Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, spread over the icing in swoops and flicks to look like snow, or you can make it completely smooth. Let the icing set completely for at least
a few hours before cutting. 

Recipe reported with permission from Hamlyn.