"Its Fruitful!!! Recipe that will make you rethink fruit cake" is the caption given in a particular  review about fruit cakes.

       Jane Touzalin works in ‘Washington Post Food and Travel sections’. She has written about fruit cakes about how it was prepared in 60’s and 70’s and now how the recipes changed. Now a days fruit cakes are doused with brandy and sometimes tastes too dry. Her review about fruit cakes convinced me to try this cake last year and it was a big hit among our family members. So I planned to make the same cake this year as well  and am now sharing it with you.

       This cake is not chewy, and has no colours; Just dried fruits and nuts. The cake is rich in fruity flavor and the moistness achieved without so much as a drop of brandy. I have followed the exact recipe with small modifications. You can bake this same cake with your choice of dry fruits and nuts.

       

INGREDIENTS:
Raisins, golden- 1 ½ cup
Dried Apricot, chopped- ½- ¾cup
Cherry in syrup drained- ¼  cup
Tutti frutti- ¼ cup (Optional)
Crystallized ginger- ½ cup (could be replaced with finely grated ginger- 2 teaspoons (or) dry ginger powder- 1/2 teaspoon)
Walnuts, toasted and chopped-1 cup
Cashew nuts, toasted - ½ cup
Orange zest-2 teaspoons
Orange juice-2 oranges
Lemon zest-2 teaspoons
Lemon juice-1
All purpose flour/ Maida- 2 ¾ cups
Sugar, powdered - 1 cup
Egg -4 large
Salt-pinch
Butter-200 grams
Vanilla extract-1 tablespoon
Almond extract-1 teaspoon
Pine apple essence-1 teaspoon
Baking powder-1 teaspoon
Baking soda- ½ teaspoon
*You can use self-rising flour for this recipe. If you use self-rising flour don’t use baking soda.

PROCEDURE:

  • Preheat the oven to 160oC. (Dense cakes should be baked for lower temperature for longer period)
  • Grease two 4 ½ inchx8 ½ inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour (or) line with parchment paper.
  • Can use 20 or 22cm two round cake tins. I have used here one loaf pan of above size and a 22cm round cake pan.
  • Toss the raisins, apricots and ginger in ¼ cup of flour until evenly coated.
  • Add the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat well using electric beater or normal whisk until creamy. Then add the eggs one by one and beat well. Now the mixture looks curdled in appearance. But nothing to worry all will be well.
  • Now add vanilla, pineapple and almond extracts and mix well.
  • Then add the orange, lime juice and grated zest of orange & lime.
  • Sift the remaining 2 ½ cup flour and baking powder and baking soda (add if you use all purpose flour) and add a cup at a time and mix well.
  • Add the nuts and dry fruits.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
  • Tap each once again on the counter to remove air bubbles, and smoothen the top layer.
  • Bake for about to 45 minutes-1 hour or more. Loaf tins take more time than round cake tins. (Depends on the size of your pan)
  • Check the cakes are done by inserting a skewer.
  • The cake will be white and might give appearance of being unbaked even though they are not.
  • Transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.