Jan W wrote:

I have no trouble leaving chocolate alone but stone fruit!  Is it not bad enough with all the xmas goodies and I dare not make my cake but now there is fruit everywhere as well.

Has anyone tried their fruit cake with dextrose instead of sugar and is the fruit that bad if a one off?

Hi Jan,

I know what you mean - Christmas isn't quite the same without Christmas cake!

On the Sweet Poison Forum, someone started a Christmas meals thread and there was a lot of musing about what to make instead of a fruit cake. Some months ago, I modified a recipe for Panforte to be as low fructose as possible and I asked if anyone was interested (more to the point, was it appropriate to post the recipe on such a site). I did post it when one reader showed interest and it may be of useful to have a look at it (posted under the recipes section - Panforte).

Whilst it has 300 gm dried fruit (to get an idea, I think one of those Sunbeam boxes of fruit in the supermarket are 500gm), it has 3 cups of nuts and a syrup that is pretty much fructose free to bind it. There are no eggs, butter, oils added and it's easy to make gluten free as the small amount of flour can be substituted with nut meal. You cut it thin and only need a little as it's very dense. I have made them as gifts for family and a few friends and everyone seems to love them. I have a small piece occasionally and don't find I want to eat more (the nuts are very filling).

Good Luck just eating one peach - I'm with you, chocolate is easy to avoid but Christmas fruits have always been a real treat!

Cheers - Janet