Gone are the days when you couldn’t have a Christmas cake when on a special diet!

This wheat- and gluten-free recipe from Gluten-, Nut-, Egg- & Dairy-Free Cakes & Bakes by Gemma McFarlane (£15.99, B. Dutton Publishing) is the perfect solution if you’re baking a fruit cake for people with special diets. To make this recipe nut free, use 135g (4¾oz) gram (chickpea) flour and 140g (4¾oz) tapioca flour sieved together in place of the gluten-free flour, maize flour and ground almond mixture. To make this recipe dairy free, use dairy-free margarine in place of butter. The cake is better if left to mature for two months before serving.

What you'll learn

1. Baking the rich fruit cake: Make the cake mix, bake and allow to cool before decorating.
2. Decorating the individual Christmas puddings: Cover each mini cake and decorate with sugarpaste.