Eggless Fruit Cake

9 standard portions

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Ingredients

• 10 dried apricots (chopped)
• 10 dates (chopped)
• 1/4 cup tutti frutti
• 1/4 cup raisins (I used a mix of golden and black)
• 1/2 cup almonds (cashews)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit
• 3 tbsp cherries (I used maraschino cherries red & green)
• 1.5 cups apple juice (or you may use rum or orange juice)
• 2.25 cups all purpose flour (288 grams)
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch (48 grams)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
• 1.5 cup milk (12 oz)
• 1.5 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3/4 cup canola oil (180 ml, or use vegetable oil or any flavorless oil)
• 1.25 cup brown sugar (256 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract (or use 1 teaspoon lemon zest)
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract (or use 1 teaspoon orange zest)
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)

Method

1. Toss together all the dried fruits and nuts in a large bowl. Add apple juice, mix well and refrigerate overnight.
2. Next morning, the fruits and nuts would have soaked some of the apple juice. Drain the juice (you can drink it later) and set the soaked fruits & nuts aside and start working on the cake.
3. Pre-heat oven to 350 F degrees. Line a 9 x 2 inch cake pan with parchment paper and then spray with a non-stick spray. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Add the spices - cinnamon powder, all spice powder, cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Mix to combine all the spices with the flour.
6. Sift the flour once so that everything is well combined and set aside.
7. In a bowl mix together 1.5 cups milk with 1.5 tablespoons white vinegar and set aside for 5-10 minutes. The milk will curdle and that's what we want before using in the recipe.
8. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or using your hand mixer, beat the oil with sugar on medium speed till well combined.
9. Add vanilla extract, lemon extract, orange extract and whisk to combine.
10. Add honey (if using) and whisk to combine.
11. Start adding the flour mix and milk-vinegar mix in parts, starting and ending with the flour mix. So add the flour mix in 3 parts and the milk-vinegar mix in 2 parts, mixing well after each addition.
12. Mix till everything is just combined and remember not to over-beat the mixture.
13. Fold in the soaked & drained dried fruits & nuts.
14. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake at 350 F degrees for 60-65 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. At around 30-35 minute mark, you can cover the cake with a sheet of aluminium foil to prevent excessive browning.
15. Once done, remove the cake carefully from the oven. Wait for 5-10 minutes and then flip the cake on a wire rack.
16. Peel the parchment paper and let the cake cool down completely.
17. Dust the eggless fruit cake with powdered sugar and enjoy!