Fruit and Nut Cake

Fruit and nut Cake is a traditional recipe for Christmas. This cake tastes delicious because of generously added fruits, nuts and spices. Traditionally, Rum is added to the fruits and nuts and the soaking process continues for months. Spices such as Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger powder enhance the flavor of Fruit and Nut Cake. I have experimented with baking this cake by soaking the fruits and nuts in Orange juice. It came out super moist and rich in flavors.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Whole Wheat Flour	1 Cup
All-Purpose Flour	1 Cup
Brown Sugar	1 Cup
Cocoa Powder	⅓ Cup
Vegetable Oil	½ Cup
Lime Juice	2 Tbsp
Orange Juice	1½ to 2 Cups
Orange Zest	2 Tbsp
Baking Powder	1 Tsp
Baking Soda	½ Tsp
salt	¼ Tsp
Water	To adjust the consistency
Walnuts	¼Cup
Almonds	¼ Cup
Cashews	¼ Cup
Dates	¼ Cup
Golden Resins	¼ Cup
Brown Resins	¼ Cup
Cherries or Cranberries	¼ Cup
Cinnamon Powder	½ Tsp
Nutmeg Powder	1Tsp
Vanilla Extract	1 Tbsp

Recipe:

Soak the fruits and Nuts in Orange juice for at least 4-5 hours
Line the baking tin with a parchment paper
Preheat the oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit
Add oil and brown sugar to a mixing bowl
Add vanilla extract and orange zest( orange zest is the outer layer of orange peel.It enhances the flavor of the cake)
Mix well
Add soaked fruit and nut mixture
Add lime juice
Add nutmeg powder, Cinnamon powder and cocoa powder(Ginger powder can also be added 1/8 tsp)
Add flour slowly
Add baking powder, baking soda and salt
Mix the batter gently
Adjust the consistency of batter with water
Add ¼ cup or little water at a time
Batter consistency should not be watery or too thick
Transfer the batter to a baking tin
Bake for 40-45 minutes (Check with a toothpick. if it doesn’t come out clean, bake for another 10 minutes)
Cool the cake inside a baking tin
Keep the baking tin on a cooling rack
Slowly unmold the cake when it is cooled down completely
Decorate the cake as per your choice

Tips:
You can replace orange juice with pineapple juice
You can replace Brown sugar with organic sugar
Let the cake cool down completely
Add water only if needed as it depends on the quantity of orange juice in soaked fruits and nuts mixture.
Water should be at room temperature