Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake #2 [No Soaking / Alcohol Free]

The excitement / enthusiasm to bake this cake was stemmed from a group chat!In one of the Whatsapp chat groups, the BMers were discussing about fruit cakes , Gayathri mentioned her recipe and one of the girls made it. It turned out awesome and I had bookmarked her recipe to try later.

Finally I made this on Christmas Day.I have used unrefined cane sugar and whole wheat flour,sunflower oil in this recipe. Also I have halved the original recipe to make a small cake.

I had several plans and quite a few fruit cake recipes to try but with the kids exams and holidays that followed tossed the plans out of the window! This one however was the only fruit cake that got done and was savored by the entire family! My mom loved this so much that she said it was way better than the store bought fruit cake and also added that this one had the right amount of spice, fruits and sweetness. It got over the same day I made it and now I am tempted to bake it yet again at least for the sake of clicking better pics.

And,Yes, this post is a tad late! But one can always enjoy cakes at any time right!

So,this recipe requires no alcohol and there is no soaking time!So when there is sudden craving /urge to make a fruit cake, just bake this one!

I used:
Adapted from Gayathri’s Cookspot

For Caramel Syrup:

Sugar- 1 1/2 tablespoons
Water- 3/4 tablespoon
Lemon juice- a few drops
Boiling water – 1/8 cup

For Fruit Mixture

Orange juice- 1/8 cup
Mixed nuts and dried fruits- 1 cup

For the Cake:

Whole wheat flour- 1/2 cup+ 3 tablespoons
Oil-1/4 cup
Unrefined cane sugar- 3/4 cup
Apple Puree – 1/4 cup
Baking Powder-1/2 teaspoon
Thick Yogurt / Curd – 4 tablespoons
Allspice Powder-1/8 teaspoon

To make the Caramel Syrup:

Heat sugar, water and lemon juice in a small pan.DO NOT STIR.The sugar will start caramelizing and will turn brown.When the color changes to a slightly dark brown, add the boiling water and swirl.Remove from heat. Now the sugar would have dissolved and there will be no sugar lumps in the caramel.

These are the dry fruits and nuts that I used. Chop them finely and keep aside.

Heat orange juice in a pan and add the dry fruit and nut mixture.Boil for a minute and then simmer for a minute. Stir the mixture occasionally.Once the mixture becomes dry, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Sift the flour with baking powder and allspice powder. Grease and dust a small oval shaped baking tin and keep aside.

In a bowl, take oil and unrefined cane sugar and mix to combine.Add apple sauce, caramel syrup and mix well. Put in curd, dry fruits and nut mixture

To this add the sifted flour mixture and gently combine with a spatula. Transfer the batter into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly. Gently tap the tin on the counter top so that there are no air holes. Decorate with a few cherries and place the tin on a baking tray.

Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degree C for 40 minutes. After 10 minutes/ when the top get brown, cover with a foil and continue baking till the cake is done.Once the cake is baked, remove from oven and set aside to cool in the pan itself. After the cake is completely cooled, gently remove from pan and slice.

This fruit cake has become one of the most loved bakes of this season!!!

Note:

• Use these substitutions – APF for Whole wheat flour , Butter for oil, Sugar for unrefine cane sugar.
• Use any dried fruit / nut of your choice.
• The shape of the tin too is your choice!
• If the cake batter is too water , add a teaspoon  or so of flour.
• If it is too thick, add warm milk/ water .But don’t make the batter very watery.
• The baking time will vary. Keep an eye out after 30 minutes.Check by inserting a knife / skewer in the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done, else bake again.
• Do not be tempted to remove the cake from the tin as soon as it is done. Wait for it to cool down else the cake will fall out in bits and pieces.

Bon Appetit….