Vegetarian Christmas Cake

Christmas is coming and so is Christmas Cake time! If you are a Vegetarian like me you must try this fruit cake recipe. It is made of fresh fruits, all spice and oranges and everything nice.

No egg, no rum cake.

Ingredients

For the fruits 

juice of 10 oranges 

Juice of 4 apples

3 cups of assorted chopped nuts and dried fruits ( walnuts, cashew, raisins, black currants,pecans, almonds, prunes, figs, pista)

2 green apple ( Granny smith apple ) chopped in small pieces

1 tbsp marmalade

2 tbsp orange rind 

1 tbsp lemon rind 

1 cup tutti fruity  

500 gms candied fruits and berries 

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp honey or maple syrup

1.5 cup sugar ( 1/4th cup castor sugar + 1 cup regular sugar

Treacle

1.5 tbsp sugar

2 tsp water

1/4 th cup water

In a non stick pan add sugar and two tsp water. Cook on a stove. 

Caramelize it to its golden brown. Don't stir. 

Once the mixture is dark brown add 1/4 th cup water to it and stir. 

Cool this mixture and add to the cake batter later.

Preparation Time : Soak all the fruits, dried fruits, nuts rinds and candied fruits in a glass or plastic box with 1 glass of orange juice and apple juice and lemon juice overnight and honey. The fruits should become nice and plump. Don't soak these for more than 24 hours. 

When you are ready to make the cake. Bring these fruits to a boil in a non stick pan and let it cool to room temperature.
Add 2 tsp of the below spice mixture if you like before boiling.

Spice Mixture

If you have mixed spice already prepared use  2 tsp of that or 

Use the below powders 

1 tsp cinnamon ground finely

1 tsp clove powder

1 tsp of nutmeg 

1 tsp ground ginger 

1 tsp all spice 

Dry ingredients for the cake 

3 cups Maida

2 cups white butter

1 tin condensed milk

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon edible soda

2 teaspoon Vanilla essence

1/4th glass of milk and water mixture at  room temperature

1 pinch salt

Butter paper \white paper to line your baking tin

Method

1. Sift the maida,baking powder, salt and soda together three times in a sieve and keep it aside.

2. Whisk butter to a nice fluffy consistency.

3. Add both sugars and condensed milk to the white butter and whisk it all together with a hand whisk. Add the soaked fruit mixture along with the juice to the mixture and the vanilla essence.

4. Add the ground spices to the maida mixture and mix.

Now slowly add the flour (maida ) mixture to the butter and sugar mixture. Fold it together. Add the treacle mixture .

5. If the mixture is thick add the milk and water mixture slowly to the mixture to get the right consistency. You might need to add lesser than the prescribed amount above.

6. Fold all the contents with a soft hand.

7. Line your cake tin with a butter paper glazed with some white butter.

8. Pre- heat the oven and bake the cake for 90 to 120 minutes at 160 Degrees Celsius.

9. When the cake turns nice brown remove it and keep it aside for sometime on wire tray\ gauze.

10. When the cake cools down. sprinkle a few teaspoons of sugar syrup over it.

11. Serve once cool.

12. This cake stays for upto a week.