Christmas Fruit Cake

Last Christmas cake post! The most special, unique and tasty. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Christmas Fruit Cake! What I love most about this cake is the variety of dry fruits and nuts that are soaked in grape juice. How colorful! Though the cake is traditionally made by soaking the dry fruits and nuts in Rum or Wine, we have used grape juice. The soaking improves the taste. Not a wheat cake this time, but we have used brown sugar. The main reason behind this is the color. Don’t let the color of the cake batter deceive you… once you have baked it completely, the light brown batter turns into a beautiful darker shade of brown. This recipe is from Hebbar’s Kitchen. The cake is moist and spongey. With each bite, you are in for a treat- you never know if it’s gonna be a cherry, walnut, cranberry or a raisin. If you are baking this Christmas, then this cake is something that needs to be on the table. Merry Christmas guys!

Preparation time: 2hrs| Cooking time: 1h
Course: Dessert| Cuisine: International

Ingredients:

For soaking dry fruits:

Raisins- ¼cup, finely chopped

Cranberries- ¼ cup, finely chopped

Figs- ¼ cup, finely chopped

Cherries- ¼ cup, finely chopped

Apricot- ¼ cup, finely chopped

Seedless dry dates- ¼ cup, finely chopped

Grape/ apple juice- 1 cup

For fruit cake batter:

Water- 1 ¼ cup

Brown sugar-1 cup (powdered)

Oil- 2/3^rd cup

Maida-2 cups

Baking soda- ½ tsp

Baking powder- 1 tsp

Cinnamon powder- ½ tsp

Nutmeg powder- ¼ tsp

Cardamom powder- ½ tsp

Vanilla essence- 1tsp

Orange zest/ lemon zest (grated peel)- ½ tsp

Salt- a pinch

Almonds- 1 tblsp (finely chopped)

Walnut- 1 tblsp (finely chopped)

Method:

1. Soak all the dry fruits in grape juice for 2 hours.

2. Take warm water, powdered sugar and oil in a vessel. Blend everything together until it is evenly mixed

3. Sieve together maida, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder and salt. Add this to the sugar mixture.

4. Then add orange zest and vanilla extract. Blend everything together until the batter is combined.

5. Squeeze the dry fruits from the grape juice and add it to the batter. Add the almonds and walnuts. Give a gentle mix.

6. Grease a cake mould with oil and sprinkle flour. Transfer the cake batter into the cake mould.

7. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 40 minutes.

8. Once done keep it outside and cool it down. Finally make pieces and serve it.

Notes:

· We are using grape juice in place of alcohol such as rum or wine.

· You can add dry fruits and nuts of your choice.

· Keep an eye while cooking as each oven works differently.

Step by step pictures

chop all the dry fruits into small pieces

soak them in grape juice for two hours

take oil, powdered brown sugar and

warm water in a vessel

blend it together using a hand blender

until it mixes completely

sieve together maida, baking soda,

baking powder cinnamon powder,

nutmeg powder, cardamom powder

and salt

add this to the sugar syrup

blend well without lumps

but don't over beat

squeeze the dry fruits from the grape

juice and add it to the cake batter

add the chopped nuts too

give it a gentle mix

grease a cake mould with oil and sprinkle

with maida. pour the batter into the cake mould.

bake at 180 celcius for 40 minutes

let it cool completely

make pieces and serve

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