Fabulous Fruitcake

Fabulous Fruitcake

A perfect addition for Healthy Christmas Celebrations!

by Charlene Wieler (aka KiWiGiRl)

Yield: 2 cakes

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups almonds, soaked overnight, rinsed, then dehydrated till crunchy
2 cups pecans, soaked overnight, rinsed, then dehydrated till crunchy
2 cups walnuts, soaked overnight, rinsed, then dehydrated till crunchy
1 cup dates, soaked for 30 minutes
1 cup raisins, soaked for 15 minutes
1 cup chopped prunes
1 cup chopped dried apricots
2 cups dried unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp. grated orange peel
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or raw honey
½ tsp. alcohol-free vanilla extract
¼ tsp. Celtic sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir together. Divide this mixture in two. Transfer half of the mixture into a food processor and process with an S blade until a dough is formed. Remove this dough and place it in a separate bowl. Place the second batch into your food processor and pulse chop a few times (about 12 pulses), just until the larger nuts are a bit smaller.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the two batches and thoroughly mix. If you have a heavy duty electric mixer with a large paddle you could use it to mix the two batches together. But it really works best to knead this together with your hands. Either way, the mixture needs to be mixed so that it is well-mixed and is a cake-like consistency that sticks together.

Divide this mixture into two equal parts. Place each portion on your countertop and individually form each one into a rectangular 1 inch high rectangular fruitcake. Lift each fruitcake off your countertop gently with a spatula and transfer onto a mesh dehydrator tray. Each fruitcake should be placed on their own tray to facilitate even drying. You'll need to remove enough trays so that the fruitcakes have enough room in the dehydrator (this is where an Excalibur brand dehydrator really is best- because of their removable trays!).

Dehydrate the fruitcakes for 7 to 10 hours at 105 degrees, or until your desired dryness (I like it moist & chewy! - 7 hours was just perfect for us).

Don't have a dehydrator? You could try using your oven… it's not ideal, but could help until you decide to invest in a dehydrator. But to do this safely, you need to purchase an oven thermometer so that you can monitor the temperature inside your oven while your food is drying. Then set your oven to the lowest temperature setting and be sure to leave the oven door open during the drying process.

You'll be surprised how your family and friends will enjoy this raw version! They'll be amazed to discover that it's raw–that is, if you decide to tell them... Enjoy!!