Time for some xmas cake

I usually make a rich and yummy Plum/fruit cake for Xmas recipe of which I had posted last year. But this year I wanted to make a fruit cake but also wanted to do something different. So I started doing what I do the best, I started browsing ofcourse I read many recipes online but somehow none of them really stuck home (though I must say I love this Florentine cake and might make it before Saturday once )

I had my fruits soaked in rum ready and hence I decided to pick something from one recipe, something from another, something from my own and made my own fruit cake

Anyone who knows, would have guessed by now what is the most major change I did to the cake… I made it out of whole wheat flour

What I used

To be soaked before hand

• 2 cups of dried fruits I used the following
  • sultanas
  • raisins
  • figs
  • dates
  • dried cranberries
  • prunes
• 1/2 -1 cup of  rum (depending on how strong the flavor u like, I used about 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoon orange zest

For the cake

• 1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup of maida
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup oil
• 3/4 cup demerara sugar
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I used the following)
  • blanched almonds
  • pistachios
  • cashewnuts
  • Pine nuts (chilgoza)
• handful of whole blanched almonds to  decorate the cake

 

How I made it

• Sift the flour and baking powder once and keep aside

• Grease and dust your baking tin and line it will double parchment paper or butter paper. I used 8-inch round springfoam pan and a little batter was left as I didnt fill it as much as I could have

• Mix sugar and oil together till light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time and keep mixing till well blended

• Fold in the flour gently and than add the dried fruit mixture along with all the liquid slowly till just mixed
• Add the nuts and mix gently again
• Pour the batter into the pan you have prepared, level with a spoon and decorate with blanched almonds… (I love the crispness they add to the baked cake
• Bake at 175 C for 30-40 mins and than reduce the temperature to 160C, cover the cake with parchment paper or foil and bake again for 30-40 mins or till the skewer comes out clean
• Let it cool completely for 4-5 hours before removing the paper. Typically the cake is than seasoned with rum a couple of times before eating but we dont have so much patience in our household… so what are you waiting for? Have a slice?

And I am sending this to Blog Anniversary event of the lovely blog Cakes and More. The book that Suma has as a give away is one on my must have list…

And ofcourse this one goes to my regular Champa’s Bake-Off

 

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