How to bake a modern Christmas cake if you find traditional cakes too rich

Michelle Darmody shares her recipe for a lighter version of a classic Christmas cake

For those in your life who may not enjoy the richness of Christmas cake or pudding there are lighter alternatives.

Most Christmas bakes tend to be rich and very heavy with dried fruit. Such recipes originated in medieval times, but back then they looked quite different to the puddings and cakes we know today.

The originals contained boiled beef, as well as fruit and spices, and were often thickened with old bread and oats.