Easy Christmas fruit cake (Alcohol free)

Hello to all my readers.  This is the last day of this year and I have already started making it special.  As I had promised you to post an easy peasy Christmas fruit cake recipe, here it is for you all.

Its a very easy n no fuss cake.  Everything you would find in your very own kitchen.  No fancy ingredients but the taste is simply divine. Unlike other Christmas fruit cakes this one is completely alcohol free. 

My cake came out so soft and yummy and the aroma had just filled my entire home.  I had again experimented here but this time I was so sure about the success as the ingredients were sure shot :)  Unlike my other bakes, this cake is made with egg but I used only one (as usual) and I can bet you are not gonna smell it due to the aromatic Indian spices.  Its a must try.  I had soaked my fruit mix in orange juice, instead of Rum, for three days but if you dont have much time you can soak for 24 hrs.  Even if you dont have 24 hrs. then also you can make this cake :) Yes you are reading correct YOU CAN MAKE THIS CAKE :)  Now no excuse please :D  If you dont have time for soaking you can add your dried fruits with boiled sugar butter mix that I have used in the recipe.  This cake is gonna rock your parties or you can simply make it to treat yourself.  This is a no fail recipe trust me. So I am leaving you here with the recipe of this awesome fruit cake.  Do try. Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

All purpose flour	1 cup
Brown sugar	½ cup
Salted Butter	Little less than ¼ cup
Oil	1 tbsp
Baking soda	Little less than ¾ tsp
Egg	1
Cinnamon powder	Little less than ½ tsp
Nutmeg powder	Little less than ¼ tsp
Clove (powdered)	3 or ¼ tsp
Ginger grated or powdered	¼ tsp
Vanilla essence	¼ tsp
Cashews (chopped)	15
Glazed cherries (optional)	3 (chopped)
Dried fruit mix (raisins, black currant, golden raisins,orange peels)	1 cup
Orange juice (I used store bought orange juice)	1 ½ cups (To soak the dried fruit mix )
water	1/2 cup + 1/8 cup

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, sieve together all purpose flour and baking soda.  Keep aside.
• If you have time, soak dried fruit mix in orange juice atleast for 24 hrs. 
• Take a sauce pan, add sugar, butter, water, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, powdered clove and ginger powder and mix well.  Put on the stove and let it boil till sugar dissolves.  Once its boiled and sugar is dissolved, remove from stove and let it lukewarm.  Beat the egg lightly and add into the prepared sugar butter mix. Also add vanilla essence and mix.  At this stage, separate the soaked dried fruit mix from orange juice and add it to the lukewarm sugar butter mix and give a quick stir.  Discard the orange juice.  ( If you dont get the time to soak the dried fruits you can directly add them to the sugar water mix before boiling).
• Set the oven at 180 degree.  Grease your cake pan with oil or non stick spray and dust the same with flour. Keep it aside.
• In the sugar butter mix, add all purpose flour little by little to avoid the formation of lumps.  Mix well to make it a smooth batter.  Add oil, cashews and chopped glazed cherries.  Mix well.
• Pour the cake batter to the greased cake pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. 
• Keep checking the cake after 40 minutes by inserting a knife in the center of the cake.  If the knife comes out clean, cake is baked, if not keep increasing the baking time by another 10 minutes.
• Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and let it cool down at least for 10 minutes.
• Carefully shift the cake to the serving plate and enjoy.

Notes:

1. You can use white sugar in place of brown sugar.  Brown sugar gives the deep brown color to the cake.
2. I have used 1 cup of dried fruit mix, you can use more.  You can use tutty fruitty as well. You can add almonds instead of cashews or both.  You can use your choice of dried fruits in this cake but do not overload the cake with them.
3. Spice level can be increased or decreased as per your choice.
4. If using unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp of salt in the batter.
5. My cake took exact 60 minutes to bake but baking time differs according to the oven so keep checking your cake after 40 minutes. Do not over bake the cake.
6. You can soak your dried fruits in rum also.
7. Do not skip egg as it would help in raising the cake and making it fluffy.  You would not get the eggy smell due to the use of spices.
8. You can make the icing for the cake or have it with simple chocolate sauce or vanilla icecream.

Choco Pineapple Marble Cake

Hi friends.  These days I am in festive mood as christmas is around the corner.  From my childhood, Christmas has always given me that festive feel after Diwali.  This time I have decorated the Christmas tree two weeks back :D  I also love the combination of winters and christmas.  It gives me festive delight.  However, it wont be winter season here in zambia on christmas but Christmas Tree, Cakes, Cookies, Chocolates, holidays and above all my loved ones will make it perfect for me.  I am thinking to make something new daily to add in festivity in my routine life.  So starting with this yummy cake that is the result of my one more experiment thats again came out yum.  Unlike my other bakes, this one is with egg.  I dont like the smell of eggs in baked goods so I try to avoid adding eggs but if I do I strictly try to put not more than one egg and to suppress its smell I add many other flavours to the recipe.  Here also I did the same thing. This is a choco pineapple marble cake, a deliccious treat for everyone.  I love marble cakes and more than its taste I love its appearance.. swirly wowww beautiful.   After baking this cake when I tasted it first I felt the sugar level is less than what I had wanted but after cooling down it was perfect.  Still if you find it less sugary you are free to increase the sugar level or you can top it with some chocolate sauce.  You will find it yummy in any way.  So here is the recipe of a perfect tea cake for parties or just for that evening cuppa tea with family.  Try out.  Happy Cooking :)

love the beautiful swirls 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour	1 cup + 1 tsp for dusting
Powdered sugar	½ cup
Oil	¼ cup
Egg	1
Baking powder	½ tsp
Baking soda	¼ tsp
Mixed fruit jam	1 tsp
Pineapple essence	1 tsp
Coco powder	2 tbsp
Milk	1/8 cup
Coffee powder	¼ tsp mixed with 1 tbsp milk

Method:

• Grease a baking tin with oil and dust with flour.  Keep aside.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degree.
• In a mixing bowl, sift together all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Keep aside.
• In another bowl, beat egg and powdered sugar till fluffy.  Add oil and beat again.  Add pineapple essence and jam.  Slowly add half of the flour mix and half milk.  Mix well.  Add remaining flour mix and milk, if needed.  Mix again.
• Shift half of the batter in another mixing bowl and in the remaining half batter add coco powder and coffee mix.  Mix well.
• You will be having two cake batters.  Take the baking tin, pour a layer of some choco batter then pour another layer of white batter over it.  Repeat the process till both the batter finish.  You will see the beautiful swirls on the top.

Ready to go in the oven

• Bake it for about 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let it cool down.

Just out from the oven 

• Enjoy with a cuppa tea or chocolate sauce.

Note:

1. If you want the cake to be on the more sweeter side increase the sugar quantity or have the cake with chocolate sauce or vanilla icecream.
2. If you do not have pineapple essence you can add any flavour of your choice.
3. If you want to make it eggless, add half a tin of condensed milk and decrease the sugar quantity from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup.
4. After 35 minutes check the cake once if it is done.   If not bake for another 5 minutes.
5. I have made this cake in bread tin you can make it in any kind of baking pan.