Sultana Nut Cake is, as described below:

- Gluten free

- Wheat free

- Dairy free

- Vegan

- Raw (if raw ingredients are used)

- Organic if organic ingredients are used.

It does (of course) contain nuts. Those who are allergic to particular kinds of nuts can avoid using those types.

To make this food, you need these ingredients:

- Nuts

- Dried Fruit

and this equipment:

- Food Processor with blade attachment fitted

I have called the recipe Sultana Nut Cake because I like it best with sultanas, but you can use raisins.

The nuts that work best for me in this recipe are cashew nuts, but I have also used brazils, walnuts and pecan nuts. I always use raw nuts. In fact I always use organically grown ingredients, but it will work equally well with non-organic ingredients.

The quantity to make will depend on how much you want to make, and the capacity of your food processor. This is because the recipe will not work if you try to do too much, or too little, at a time in your food processor. If you try to do too little, the ingredients may not blend together in the best way, and likewise if you try to do too much, with the risk in this case that you might overload your food processor.

Food processor

You can see the processing chamber with curved blades that spin when working

Please take care not to overload your food processor whatever quantity you make. Add the ingredients slowly so the processor can grind them small. I take no responsiblity for any damage that may happen to your food processor as a result of your making this recipe. I once tried running a small coffee grinder, using it to make a small amount of this recipe, through a dimmer switch, thinking that running it more slowly would make it work better. It did not. It burnt it out by making the motor draw an excessive current. You have been warned... run the processor at full speed to reduce the current drawn by the motor and increase the draft of cooling air, and add the ingredients slowly.

I find that the recipe works best with about half to three-quarters the quantity of dried fruit as I have of nuts. More dried fruit than that makes it too sweet for my taste. For myself, to make one helping, I usually use up to 100 grams (4 ounces) of cashew nuts and up to 50 grams (2 ounces) of sultanas. This amount makes a very substantial helping and can be most of a meal.

Making the recipe

Turn on the food processor and with the blade spinning at full speed, drop the nuts slowly into the chamber. The blade will chop them into powder and after a minute or two the power will feel like a dough when you stop the machine and check how it is working. Note that the machine will, in order to comply with safety legislation, have an interlock that ensures you cannot have the blade running while you do this, unless it is faulty. So, this is obvious but I'll say it anyway: never ever put your hands in the chamber of the food processor while the blades are turning and discard the machine or repair it if it allows you to do that with the motor running, and don't reach into the chamber until the blades have stopped if they're still turning after you lift the lid.

Once the nuts have been ground to a dough like or fine floury consistency (this will depend on the type of nut, those having a high oil content will be doughy, and those with a low oil content will be floury), you can begin to add the dried fruit. With the blades spinning at full speed, slowly add the sultanas or raisins, giving the blades time to chop the fruit into small pieces and rub it into the nuts. It will not take long before the mixture forms a thick doughy mass. Once you have added all the dried fruit, and it has all mashed into a dough with the ground nuts, you have completed your nut cake. Take care in this phase that the food processor does not overload. If your machine has multiple speeds, you may find that it works better on a lower speed, but this will depend on how the reduction in speed is achieved. If by gearing, it will work well, but if by a thyristor type of control (like a dimmer switch), you may find the motor draws a lot of current and it may overheat (as I found out with the small coffee grinder mentioned above). So if your machine struggles, do not run it for long at a time, and maybe take the mixture out and mash it by hand using a fork, or process it a little at a time.

The resulting cake is a stiff mixture that tastes very sweet and has a rich and satisfying texture (like any cooked cake). It's delicious with cream, yoghurt, or whipped bananas or as a part of a trifle, as well as alone. It keeps well, and, alone, is a good ingredient for a picnic or packed lunch when it can be carried in a jar without risk of leaking as it is dry.