Christmas cake and dietary requirements

[HouseIsOnFire]

Hi all, each year I religiously* follow Delia's Christmas cake recipe and make several for presents.

*I swap out the treacle for more brandy and it makes the world of difference!

This year two of the usual recipients will have some dietary requirements.

One has developed a lactose intolerant - looking at it I could just swap out the butter for vegan block, but has anyone tried this? Does it work ok? It's an expensive recipe to wreck with vegan butter 😅

The other is expecting so whilst the brandy in cake will be cooked off fine and I'll skip the royal icing (egg whites), what do you feed the cake with? Internet says orange juice but I'd like some reassurance!

If anyone else is baking for tricksy people, please feel free to add your conundrums- hopefully we can help each other!

Butter (and cheese ) have virtually no lactose. I think I would leave out the feeding for the expectant recipient.

I've found Flora unsalted plant butter (in a block) to be the best dairy free butter substitute for baking.

Aldi olive oil spread contains dairy

Ingredients Water, Vegatable Oils In Varying Proportions (29%) (Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Palm Kernel Oil), Olive Oil (21%), Salt (1%), 𝐁𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤, Emulsifier: Mono- And Diglycerides Of Fatty Acids; Preservative: Potassium Sorbate; Acid: Citric Acid; Flavouring, Colour: Carotenes; Vitamin A, Vitamin D.