Daily Recco, December 24: A very yummy cake for a very Merry Christmas

Today is that day of the year when your kitchen should be wafting with the aromas of deliciously baked cakes for Jesus’s birthday tomorrow. While Santa shall bring the surprises tonight, we bring you a surprisingly easy and yummy cake that will be a hit tomorrow, as you sit with family and friends for the feast.

This delicious fruit (and dry fruit) cake does not have a key traditional ingredient: alcohol. Alternately, you need to have soaked the dry fruits and fruits in apple juice overnight.

As you enjoy this cake, we wish you a very merry and yummy Christmas!

What you’ll need:

200 grams of all-purpose flour (or you can use maida)

One teaspoon of baking powder

200 grams of powdered sugar

Half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder

Half a teaspoon of nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg

Half a teaspoon of cardamom powder

Half a teaspoon of clove powder

Two tablespoons of light corn syrup or treacle syrup or honey

200 grams of unsalted butter

Six eggs

250 grams of chopped assorted dry fruits soaked overnight in one cup of apple juice (refrigerate the mixture)

One teaspoon of dry ginger powder

One teaspoon each of lemon zest, orange essence, rum and raisin essence

How to:

Sift the flour, baking powder and spices together and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat it with a whisk till it is creamy and fluffy.

To this mixture, add the eggs one at a time with a little bit of the dry flour mixture and beat well. Continue beating as you add the essences and the zest.

Add the dry flour and spice mixture to the beaten eggs and fold. Next, add the soaked dry fruits and fold lightly. Then, add the treacle syrup and fold. Do not whisk any more.

Grease an eight-inch round baking tray with a generous helping of butter. Pour the cake batter and gently tap the pan on the kitchen counter so that the batter settles well. At this stage, you add cashews on top as a garnish.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 minutes.

Put the baking tray in the oven and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for one hour. The baking time varies from oven to oven, but as a thumb rule, the wooden skewer should come out clean once the cake is fully baked.

Let it cool. Slice and serve.

Also Read: Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate for some Christmas cheer