One of my long-standing students Moira from Scotland makes the fantastic cake when she comes on retreat.

This cake contains naturally occurring phytoestogens from the soya plant. It is high in dietary fibre and is a good source of essential fatty acids. It could be made gluten-free by replacing the wholemeal flour with extra soya flour and oats. There are no eggs and the fats and sugars occur naturally in the foods. It contains no dairy products.

Ingredients:

200g soya flour 500g raisins

200g wholemeal flour 1 tsp ground nutmeg

200g rolled oats 1 tsp ground cinnamon

200g golden linseed 1 tsp ground ginger

100g pumpkin seeds 4 tbs clear honey

100g flaked almonds 4 tbs malt extract

100g sunflower seeds 1 litre soya milk

100g sesame seeds 100g chopped glace ginger

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture will be stiff but not dry. Leave for 30 min.

2. Heat oven to 190 C. Line 2 x 1kg loaf tins with non-stick paper.

3. Pack mixture into loaf tins and cover with paper to stop the surface drying out too much.

4. Bake for 1 hour 10 min. Remove the paper and continue baking for about 15 min until the cakes are brown.

5. Leave to cool covered with a clean tea towel.

6. Put in plastic bags and store in the fridge (about 2 weeks) or freezer (2 months). The cake will go mouldy if left out at room temperature or left in the ‘fridge too long.