- how to soak dried fruits for a perfect christmas fruitcake: firstly, in a glass jar take 100 grams dates, 100 grams raisins, 50 grams tutti frutti, 50 grams tutti frutti, 200 grams mixed berry, 100 grams fig and 50 grams apricot.
- soak in 200 ml orange juice . you can alternatively soak in packed orange juice ( Tropicana) mix well and soak for atleast 8 hours or until the dried fruits absorb all the juice.
- beat well until the butter and sugar turn creamy. if you do not access to brown sugar then use white sugar. adding brown sugar makes cakes moist and gives good colour
- now add 50 grams oil and 130 grams curd. since we are not adding the egg, the curd is a good replacement for eggs.
- continue to beat until the mixture turns creamy like frosting. further, add 300 grams maida, 50 grams almond powder, ¼ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp clove powder and ¼ tsp cinnamon powder.
- using a spatula, mix using cut and fold method. do not over mix as the cake turns chewy then. now add soaked dried fruits. make sure the dried fruits have absorbed all the juice, else drain off the juice and add dried fruits. also, add 2 tbsp pistachios, 2 tbsp cherry and 2 tbsp cashew. mix gently, making sure the dried fruits are well combined.
- transfer the fruit cake batter to a cake tin. i have used tin of dia: 7 inch, height: 4 inch. make sure to line a butter paper at the bottom to prevent from sticking.
- and also tap twice to level up uniformly and remove any air bubbles if present. place the cake pan into the preheated oven and bake at 160 degree for 1.5 hours. insert a toothpick and check if the cake has baked completely. cool the cake and then unmould the eggless christmas cake.
- Slice it once it cool down completely
- Cut and store the slices in a airtight container to keep the cake fresh .
