Eggless Fruit Cake I

After seeing many of my baker friends soaking up dry fruits for their Christmas cakes, I was also motivated to try something. I do not want to soak the fruits on alcohol for obvious reasons, though I know that’s the most oldest and preferred way of baking these yummy beauties. Just like how we associate cakes with eggs and butter, likewise these cakes are associated with soaking the fruits in rum, brandy or red wine. But since I bake eggless cakes, this is also going to be an eggless and non alcoholic version and believe me this one is equally scrumptious and flavourful with the richness of dry fruits and nuts and home ground spice mixture.

To start with, we need to cut the desired dry fruits into small uniform size pieces and then dissolve it in either apple, pineapple, grape or orange juice or tea decoction. Just for an experimentation, I decided to soak the dry fruits in (i) fresh grape juice and (ii) tea decoction. The details of these are in the below link.

For this particular recipe, I have used the one with fresh grape juice. This is just a trial method and will surely try some other version and update the same. I have not soaked the nuts and just roasted it a bit, chopped and then used it for an added crunch. Feel free to use any dry fruits and nuts that you have at your disposal.

I have used a 240 ml cup.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 125 gm (1 cup)
• Salt a pinch
• Baking powder 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda 1/2 tsp
• Butter 75 gm
• Brown sugar 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract 1/2 tsp
• **Caramel syrup 1-2 tbsp
• Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg powder 1/8 tsp
• Almonds plus Cashew nuts 1/4 cup
• Walnuts (optional)
• Pecans (optional)
• Orange/lime zest 1/2 tsp
• Soaked dry fruits 1/2 cup
• Drained juice of dry fruits 2 tbsp
• Warm water 2 tbsp
• Candied orange peel (optional)
• Candied ginger (optional)

Method:

• Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spice powder for 3-4 times.

• Roast the nuts over low flame till it becomes crunchy. Chop them into bite size pieces. Drain and measure 1/2 cup of the soaked dry fruits and keep it ready.

• Preheat the oven at 150 degree Celsius for atleast 10 minutes.
• Grease an 8 inch round or square pan or mini loaf pans or a bread tin with butter and dust it with flour. Place a parchment paper at the base. I have used 3 mini loaf tins.

• Beat the butter and sugar till it is soft and fluffy.
• Add the caramel syrup and vanilla extract and mix well. Now add the zest of the orange or lime. Add 2 tablespoon of warm water and mix.
• Now add half cup of the soaked dry fruits and add it to the flour. Also add the pieces of nuts and the candied orange peel if you are adding any.
• Now slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and fold gently.
• Add some of the strained liquid from the soaked dry fruits. The batter will be a bit thick.
• Slowly pour the batter into the prepared cake tin/tins and smoothen the top.

• Bake at 150 degree Celsius for 45-50 minutes (for an 8 inch round tin) or till a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. My mini loaf tins took 35 minutes to bake.
• Remove the tin from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pan over a wire rack.
• Slowly run a plastic knife or spatula at the edges of the tin and loosen the cake.
• Transfer the cake onto a cooling rack and allow it to cool well.

• Slice gently and enjoy a piece 🙂

Notes:

• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for few minutes before you take it out of the tin.
• Wait till the cake cools well on a cooling rack and then slice them slowly.
• You can dust the cake with icing sugar if you want to.
• Cut the cake with a sharp serated knife and very gently, or else it will crumble.
• I found this cake to be a bit sweeter than what I would have liked, so those who want a mildly sweet cake, please use only 1/4 cup of sugar.
• Also reduce the amount of spice powder, if are not a big fan of spice taste. My home ground spice was a bit strong.
• Also I found my cake to be a bit crumbly, but the taste is really good, with a nice bite of dry fruits and roasted nuts in every mouthful.
• The cake tastes better0 the next day when all the flavours would have infused well.

**How to make caramel syrup:

• Take around 1/4 cup of brown sugar in a thick sauce pan and add 1 teaspoon water to it. Let it boil well.
• Lightly swirl the pan. It will slowly turn darker in colour and form a thick dark brown solution.

• Add around 2-3 tablespoon of water and mix well. Remove from heat and cool. Your caramel syrup is ready.

• I made this cake again for my mom on 7 th April. Just few changes. Used lesser amount of soaked fruits ( because I had only that much ) no orange zest, no candied peel, no water, instead used 2 tablespoon milk and 1 teaspoon vinegar. It came out really well. A bit light in colour, it was more like a fruit cake.