Aahh! The holidays are here! There is nothing like the tantalizing aroma of fruit cake filling the air. Try this simple, no fuss eggless fruit and nut cake recipe and share the warmth of the holidays with family and friends. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Ingredients:
Water – 2 cups
Dried Cranberries – 1/3 cup
Dried Apricots – 1/3 cup, chopped
Raisins – 1/3 cup
Butter – 1 stick (1/2 cup)
Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp
Rum or Brandy – few teaspoons, optional
All-Purpose Flour (Maida) – 1 3/4 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Powder – 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg Powder – 1/2 tsp
Walnuts – 1/4 cup, chopped
Pecans – 1/4 cup, chopped
Almonds – 1/4 cup, chopped
Cashews – 1/4 cup, chopped
Candied Orange Peel – few (optional)
Method:
1. In a small sauce pan, add 2 cups Water, Cranberries, Raisins and Apricots. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
2. Pour water with fruits into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add Butter and mix until melted. Allow mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Add Vanilla Extract and Rum or Brandy (optional) and mix.
Preheat oven to 350F
5. In a separate bowl, combine All-purpose Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Soda, Cinnamon Powder and Nutmeg Powder.
6. Slowly incorporate (fold in) the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
7. Fold in Nuts and Candied Orange Peel.
8. Pour mixture into a greased bundt pan.
9. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from the center.
10. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes and flip out onto a baking rack to further cool.
This is my signature cake for every xmas since the last 13yrs. I’ve never used rum as i dont ‘ve it. But instead i use orange juice since iam getting the fresh orange peel (not candied peel as called in the recipe). Cake is little dry but i like it that way. I wouldn’t change anything else in this recipe. And i luv it. My husband loves it too. My kids r chocolate fan, not nuts but they still eat some. I’ve also take this cake to xmas parties n everyone loved it.
Can i substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour? Do i need to change baking soda or baking powder proportion?
Hi Hetal & Hi Anuja
I want to make this cake for my mother in law & she can’t eat sugar so if I wanna use dates instead sugar / jaggery .. how can I use it ? And do you thinks so texture will change ? ( if necessary I can soften the dates in milk) please can you guide me ?
Hi Hetal & Hi Anuja
I want to make this cake for my mother in law & she can’t eat sugar so if I wanna use dates instead sugar / jaggery .. how can I use it ? And do you thinks so texture will change ? ( if necessary I can soften the dates in milk) please can you guide me ?
Thanks Anuja!! I used oil and it was great! Actually, I saw an old question from Monika asking if she can omit the nuts. I think you all were questioning the amount of water.. Anyway, I did replace nuts with another cup of fruits. I used the same amount of water and it was great so hopefully Monika will see my response.. Thanks, hope you guys can try making plum cake its a favorite in Kerala for Christmas.
Hi,
is 1 cup measurement = 200ml or 240ml or 250 ml?
regards,
valli
Hi Valli,
1 US standard measuring cup is 8 fluid ounces, which is approx 240 ml.
Hai…
i discovered your blog very recently. tried this recipe twice. halved the recipe …… it came out well. used caramelized sugar. i also added a teaspoon of honey in the batter at the end. have read in blogs that honey adds moisture. my mother enjoyed the cake very much. thanx for a wonderful recipe..
now i visit your space daily. wishing u both a very healthy and peaceful …new year,2014.
regards,
valli.
hi which is a better butter replacement for this recipe? shortening or oil?? thanks.
Hi there,
In this case – oil will be a better and healthier replacement.
Happy Holidays!
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Is it possible to make it in to a cupcake or a muffin ?
Do I need to change any ingredients ?
Thanks 😃
I have the same question. Co-incidentally I have the same name 🙂 I have tried this cake 3 times.. This time just want to make cupcakes just to make it a little more cute.
Hi Rashmi(s),
Cupcakes usually take 20 min. but pl. do the toothpick test as all ovens are diff.
Thanks a lot for sharing this receipe. My cake with your directions turned out awesome 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Naina!
Yummy:)
I added 2 cups of semi-skimmed milk instead of water and it came out softer and tastier! Thanks for such a rich cake recipe!
Hi Anuja Hi Hetal
can i substitute vanilla essence instead of vanilla extract
and one more question that the sugar which you have used in making cake is caster sugar or powdered sugar
Hi Shweta,
Vanilla extract is made from real vanilla beans whereas vanilla essence is chemically produced. The result is less intense flavor for the essence. You can use it though, but use 1 1/2 tsp instead of 1 tsp of the extract. The sugar we used is the regular table sugar.