Christmas is around the corner and this year I made up my mind to bake the christmas fruit cake. I first wanted to try a eggless version and I zeroed in this recipe. It is a instant version with no prior soaking needed - doesnt that sound interesting?! and yes its eggless too. So no more excuses, get onto your aprons and get start to bake :)
Last week I baked this cake and we loved the aroma and texture of this cake.After hubby tasted a piece, he said I dont miss the eggs here and it is just perfect. Thats it...my mission accomplished :)
Eggless Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe - Ingredients
Recipe Reference : Divine Taste Makes: 8 pieces
Cooking & Preparation Time: 2 hrs
Maida(All purpose flour) - 1 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Demerara sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 + 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp with dry fruits
Spice mixture - 1/2 tsp(1 clove , 1 small piece cinnamon & a small piece of nutmeg)
Date Syrup/ Honey- 1/2 tbsp
Curd(Yogurt) - 3 tbsp
Vanilla essence - 1/2 + 1/4 tsp
Mashed Potato - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Dry Fruits & Nuts:
Raisins - 50 gms(Golden + Black)
Dry Figs - 50 gms
Dates - 25 gms
Almonds - 25 gms
Pista - 25 gms
Cashews - 25 gms
Tutti Frutti - 50 gms
Method:
1.Get all your dry fruits and nuts ready....Chop them finely, keep aside(Show below in the pic is just half of the ingredient measure incase if you are doubtful :)). In a non stick pan add the dry fruits, - butter, honey, brown sugar , water - Keep in low flame until sugar and butter dissolves then in high flame let it come to a boil.Then lower the flame and let it boil for a good 20 mins. By then the dry fruits must have softened and cooked.
2.After 20mins, switch off and add 1/8 tsp baking soda the mixture will become frothy and will bubble up. Set aside and let it cool down. Meanwhile in a mixing bowl add curd, vanilla essence, spice mixture then add the dry fruits mixture.
3.Then add boiled and mashed potato followed by nuts. Sieve maida, 1/2 tsp baking soda, baking powder twice and make it ready.Make sure the dryfruits mixture and mashed potato is cooled down before you add.
4.Add the sieved flour and mix well.The mixture will be thick.Preheat oven at180 deg C.Meanwhile lay butter paper inside the tin(only for the bottom)...Grease the tin with butter and maida. Then spoon the cake batter into the greased tin.Smooth the top with the hep of a spatula.You can decorate it with deskinned almonds on top if you wish to.
5.Bake the cake at 180 deg C for 1 hour 15 mins. Mine was done exactly in 1 hour...check if the top has browned and if a tooth inserted in center comes out clean.Check after 1 hour then proceed baking.Immediately transfer and place the cake tin on a wet cloth for easy unmoulding. Allow it to cool for 15 mins, then invert and carefully peel of the butter paper. Then allow it to cool for atleast an hour before slicing.
You can brush the cake with little sugar syrup while serving to avoid drying. Else you can sprinkle icing sugar on top too.
My Notes:
The batter will be thick enough to spoon. If it too dry to mix, add 2-3 tsp of water to form a batter.
The cake doesnt rise much so you can fill upto 3/4th of the tin too.Also my cake was done in 1 hr as it was small. The timing purely depends on the size and the oven type too, so keep an eye after 1 hour when
I halved the recipe and got a 4 inch round cake.
This cake is a bit crumbly because of of the dryfruits and nuts so make sure to slice only when completely cooled. Cooling time of 4-5 hrs is highly recommended.
Make sure to chop the nuts and dry fruits as small as possible so that it easily blends with the cake.
The dryfruits and nuts combination is your choice.
The potato starch acts as a egg replacer here and you can find its presence at all in the cake.
You can even use 2 tsp of orange zest / peels along with the dryfruits.