BBC Good Food Magazine chocolate fruit cake - review

I made six versions of the cake in the Christmas edition of the BBC Good Food magazine.  All of these stages are described in earlier posts.

I did initial taste tests, but thought I really needed to see how the cakes matured.  I tested them again a few days later.  In general those made with butter tasted better than those made with Pure dairy-free margarine.  The cakes made with Doves Farm flour had the pastiest texture and were somewhat unpleasant.  The Bob's Red Mill flour produced a better cake initially, but over time the texture became grainier and pastier as well, and the flavour of the chickpeas in the flour became more pronounced.  The cakes made with my flour mix, (urid lentils, tapioc and polenta), tasted the best to start with and continued to taste better.

However, I have to admit I got really bored trying to run these taste tests.  In the end I gave all the cakes away to my sister, and she heroically did a test, and gave me the same results.

The real problem with this cake is not what fat is used or what flour is used, but that chocolate and fruit just don't sit happily together.  This cake was advertised as one that might please people that didn't like fruit cake.  I think it would displease people that liked fruit cake and displease people who liked chocolate cake.  Make one of each.  That is a much better solution to meeting the needs of people with a variety of tastes over Christmas.