If you love anything that is sorrel based then you have got to try this sorrel cake. A completely vegan friendly and gluten free Christmas cake. No soaking required and a more quicker/easier alternative to black cake.

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Okay ladies and gents, I'm so excited to share this sorrel based cake with you. Trust me as the description says it's a much easier and quicker alternative to black cake.

As the holidays start to approach, many Caribbean people will be focused on cultural recipes for Christmas time (myself included).

I don't know about you but I hate doing that last minute rush to stay organized for the big day.

Let's eliminate some of that stress by making this sorrel cake instead. You don't need to worry about soaking any fruit with this cake, instead you only need to make some sorrel drink and make some jam using the drink and the pulp.

This is a great option for anyone who doesn't or won't have the time to soak their fruit for black cake. It could be that you just feel like a change or maybe you don't even like black cake.

Whatever the reason, I'm here to assist you, not judge!

This cake is made using a combination of almond flour and gluten free flour. The almond flour helps to give the cake a better, more foolproof texture.

The sorrel jam gives the cake some colour but I always end up adding some colouring because after testing this recipe a million times I wasn't satisfied with the colour without adding some colouring.

In terms of colouring I used a small amount of beetroot (beets) powder which helps to enhance the colour yielding a bright red colour.

You may choose not to do so, or use something else, so the colour of your cake maybe different from mine (should taste the same though).

Reason to make this cake

It's perfect for island people who are vegan and/or gluten free.
Contains no eggs only ground flaxseed is used instead.
A great alternative to Christmas fruit cake/black cake.
No soaking fruit is required.
You can make this cake at the last minute i.e days before.
Perfect for anyone who loves sorrel.
Ideal for impressing your guests.

The Steps

steps 1-6 creaming butter and sugar and adding sorrel jam

Preheat the oven 150c/302f/gas mark 2 (this isn't a mistake!!)
Line and grease the base and perimeter of a 8 inch spring form pan and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl add all of the dry ingredients - almond flour, gluten free flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, pink salt, baking powder and set aside.
Use an stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand whisk to cream the butter and cane sugar along with the vanilla extract.
Pour the sorrel jam into the bowl with the creamed butter and sugar and mix to evenly combine.

steps 7-12 mixing dry ingredients into the wet cake batter

Slowly add the bowl with the dry ingredients to the wet, sorrel mixture, adding in increments while mixing to form a smooth batter.
Add the red food colouring then mix for about 30 seconds so the red colour is evenly distributed.
Pour the cake batter into the cake tin.
Place some water in a large oven proof bowl to create a water bath and place this on the bottom oven shelf underneath the pan (this will help with heat distribution)
Bake the cake on the middle shelf for around 60-90 minutes. Keep an eye on the cake, you don't want the top too brown (it's a red cake!), half way through baking place some foil over the top of the cake, if you need to.
Once done check the readiness by inserting a skewer or even a knife. It should come out clean when done. If not return to the oven to bake for 10-15 intervals (foil covered) and repeat.
Once the cake is baked, leave the cake in the tin until it starts to cool down then remove from the pan by pushing the base of the tin upwards then transfer to a cooling rack.
Spray the top of the sorrel cake lightly with some sorrel drink and leave to completely cool.
Allow the cake to completely cool (preferably overnight) before slicing (you can spray more liquid once the cake is cool).

Frequently Asked Questions

What gluten free flour works with this recipe?

I have only tried king Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Flour, Brown Rice Flour and Bob Red Mills 1 to 1 baking flour.

Is it necessary to mix the almond flour with gluten free flour?

Having tested it without, I feel it works much better in terms of texture by adding an equal ratio of almond flour.

My cake wasn't baked in the time that you stated?

As I always say, baking time should be used as a rough guide. Baking time can be off for a number of reasons - altitude, the type of oven .i.e gas or electric etc...

If your cake isn't baked all isn't lost, you will need to allow your cake to bake further. Simply cover the cake with aluminium foil (to prevent the top from burning) and check the cake every 10-15 minutes using a knife or skewer to determine its readiness.

When it is baked, the knife/skewer should come out clean with no cake residue.

Notes and tips

Make sure to position the cake in the centre of the oven on the lower shelf (not top).
Use the baking time as a rough guide only, as it can vary.
A few small cracks in the cake are normal.
For best results, after dowsing the cake with liquid allow to cool completely then wrap in saran/cling film to preserve the moisture.
The cake should last for several days so it's okay to make it ahead of time.
In terms of red colouring, if you want to keep it natural, use beetroot (beet) powder.
Don't add the powder directly to the cake batter mix the 3 teaspoons of powder with 6 teaspoons of warm water.
This is the recipe that you need for the Sorrel Jam
Don't open the oven to check the status of your cake. I know it's tempting but opening the oven will cause a fluctuation from the temperature and cause the cake to sink.
Make sure the cake is completely cool before cutting into it, leave it for several hours or overnight if you wish to.

More Christmas recipes to try

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