Eggless Christmas fruit cake recipe
Eggless and non-alcoholic, this easy Christmas fruit cake is a super delicious having the rich taste of caramel.
Ingredients
1 cup =200 ml
FOR SOAKING FRUITS
- 1 cup/170 gm dried fruits (includes cranberry, strawberry, kiwi, mango, blueberry, tutti fruity & dates)
- 1 cup/145 gm nuts (includes cashews, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, raisins, melon & pumpkin seeds)
- 1 Cup Cranberry juice (or orange juice)
FOR MAKING CARAMEL SOLUTION
- 1/4 cup Sugar (We have used cane sugar. You can use refined sugar also)
- 1/4 cup hot water
FOR MAKING CAKE
- 2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (we have used shakkar. You can use brown sugar or refined sugar after powdering)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
- 1/4 tsp Star Anise powder
- 1/4 tsp Cloves powder
- 1 cup milk (at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup melted butter (at room temperature)
- Soaked fruits
- Caramel Solution (at room temperature)
FOR TOPPING
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts & dried fruits (it includes same fruits & nuts used in the cake)
Instructions
SOAKING OF DRIED FRUITS & NUTS
- Take a bowl and add all the dried fruits and nuts.
- Pour cranberry juice and mix well.
- Cover with a lid and keep overnight or for 7-8 hours in refrigerator.
- Next day, hours before making cake, take out the soaked fruits from refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.
MAKING OF CARAMEL SOLUTION
- Add sugar in a non stick pan and put on low heat.
- Stir it continuously until sugar is caramelized.
- Pour hot water, very carefully, in the caramelized sugar and mix well.
- Caramel solution is ready. Keep aside and let it come to room temperature.
FOR MAKING CAKE
- Take a bowl and add milk, butter, caramel solution and sugar. Mix well.
- Add soaked fruits (without draining any juice) and mix well.
- Put a sieve over the bowl and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, nutmeg powder, star anise powder and cloves powder.
- Sieve all these ingredients into the bowl.
- Mix them well using a cut & fold method.
- Transfer the batter into 9 inches cake tin lined with greased butter paper or parchment paper.
- Level the batter using a spatula.
- Top the cake with mixed fruits and nuts.
- Bake in a preheated oven @160°C/320°F for 60 to 70 minutes in the middle rack of oven with both the rods on.
- Take the cake out and insert a toothpick in it. If cake comes out clean, this is a sign that cake is properly baked. But if toothpick has some sticky batter, means cake is under baked so need little more baking.
- Let cake cool down completely on a cooling rack.
- Invert, cut into slices and enjoy.
Notes
- You can use any fruits and nuts of your choice and as per availability.
- Whole wheat flour can be replaced with all purpose flour.
- Instead of cranberry juice, you may use orange juice, grape juice or mix fruits juice also.
- In place of cane sugar and shakkar, you can use regular refined sugar.
- Oil is an option to butter.
- Let the ingredients (soaked fruits & nuts, milk, butter and caramel solution) should come to room temperature before using.
- Baking time may vary from oven to oven. So you need to check your cake before taking the final call.
- Do not fill up the baking tin till the top but only up to 3/4th because on baking, batter will flow out of the tin. In case you have a cake tin smaller than 9 inches, keep some muffin cups handy and pour some batter in them.
- This cake can be baked in microwave convection mode also on the similar temperature and same duration.