Boiled Fruit Cake (with eggs)

Merry Christmas dear readers and followers 🙂 May the coming days fill your lives with loads of happiness. Here is my version of a rich non alcoholic boiled fruit cake with eggs. It’s dense, rich, moist and very very flavourful. I got really very good reviews from all those who tasted it. Just look at the colour of the crumb and the beautiful slices. Perfect, isn’t it? Please follow my recipe for making dark treacle at home.

The ratio of flour to dried fruits, nuts and candied peels is around 2:5, which makes the cake dense. Read the notes at the end of the recipe to make sure that you get a perfect bake each time. The flavour develops as the cake gets 2-3 days older. Slice it only after 24 hours of baking to ensure that the crust becomes soft. Also this helps to enhance the flavour of the cake. You can store this cake at room temperature for at least 4-5 days when stored in a good airtight container. It can be refrigerated for a longer time. Use all ingredients at room temperature and always use good quality ingredients. I use a 240 ml cup. Do not forget to share your feedback with me. Once again Merry Christmas and Happy New year.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 195 gm (1.5 cups)
• Salt a pinch
• Butter 56 gm (1/4 cup)
• Baking soda 1 tsp
• Brown sugar 50 gm
• Jaggery powder 50 gm
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Eggs 2
• Cinnamon powder 1 tsp
• Nutmeg powder 1/4 tsp
• Clove powder 1/4 tsp
• Orange juice 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp
• Water 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp
• Orange zest 1 tbsp
• Lemon zest 2 tsp
• Almonds 40 gm (1/4 cup)
• Cashew 40 gm (1/4 cup)
• Dried fruits 300 gm
• Candied peels 50 gm
• Glazed cherries 50 gm
• Black currant jam 1 tbsp
• Dark treacle 2 tbsp

Method:

• Chop the dried fruits and candied peels into small pieces. Roast the chop the cashews and almonds.

• In a heavy sauce pan combine the brown sugar, jaggery, water, butter and chopped dried fruits. Give it a thorough mix.

• Simmer for five to six minutes. Switch off the flame and allow it to cool.

• Add the chopped nuts, candied peels and mix well.

• Whisk two eggs along with the vanilla extract and add it to this mixture.

• Sieve the flour, salt, baking soda and the spice powders two to three times.

• Preheat the oven at 150-160 degree Celsius for around ten minutes.
• Grease an 8.5 by 4 inches rectangular cake tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Now, add the dry ingredients into the boiled fruit mixture in three batches alternating with the orange juice. End with the dry ingredients. Do not overmix.

• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 75-80 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in to the centre comes out clean.

• Remove the cake from the oven and brush the top with a jam of your choice. This will give a beautiful glaze to your cake. This step is optinal.
• Cool the cake in the tin on a cooling rack.
• De mould the cake and cool it completely on a wire rack.

• Cling wrap and store overnight. Slice it the next day and serve with love 🙂
• Merry Christmas to all.

Notes:

• I have used around equal quantities of black currants, cranberries, golden raisins and black raisins (total 300 gms). Plus around hundred grams of apricots, figs, glazed cherries and orange peel altogether. Thus the total weight was around 400 grams.
• Chop the dried fruits into small pieces so that they are evenly distributed in the cake.
• You can increase the quantity of sugar by around 2 tbsp or reduce it further by 2 tbsp. The dried fruits impart a pretty good amount of sweetness to the cake.
• The flavour of the cake deepens as it gets 1-2 days old.
• This will stay good at room temperature for around 5-6 days.
• We have used fresh home made orange juice.
• We have used zest of two oranges and one large lemon. Wash and pat dry them completely before taking the zest.
• The batter will be a thick one as compared to other cakes.
• You can alter the spices according to your taste.
• You can brush the baked cake with apricot/stawberry or blueberry jam. I have used strawberry jam. You may skip this step.
• Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the cake.