Among this celebratory ambient, the aroma of a freshly baked cake is all that we truly crave. Isn’t it? So, here I bring you a recipe of the most fruity and nutty, sweet and spiced, richly flavored Fruit Cake that’s going to make your holidays special!
What makes these cakes unique is the incredible flavor rendered from the dried fruits soaked in a good dose of fruit juice. This way, they are naturally sweetened and exceptionally moist besides a balanced flavor that can make any cake lover drool over them instantly. Christmas would surely be incomplete without a rich, delicious, moist, and full-flavored Fruit and Nut cake.
Reasons You’ll ♡ Vegan vegan spiced fruit and nut cake
This Spiced Fruit and Nut Cake deserves no introduction. You fall in love with this cake as —
It’s a no-fuss recipe: easy and fun. It is the moistest and most luscious fruit cake EVER, with perfectly balanced flavors. It can be made with or without alcohol. It completely enthralls any fruit lover. Makes an ideal gift for friends and loved ones who enjoy gourmet treats or nuts.
In a nutshell, this cake is a popular indulgence during Christmas merrymakings and is loved for its exquisite combination of nuts, dried fruits, and candied fruits.
Salt — A pinch of salt helps perk up the flavors of other ingredients in the cake. Baking powder and Baking soda — These are essentially added as the leavening agents to bring out the desired rise in the cake. They help the cake to become airy, light, and fluffy. Sugar — Brown sugar is added as the sweetening agent that also brings about the caramel flavor in our cake. It also lends a subtle brown hue that white sugar does not bring. Oil — Oil is used to bring the required moistness to the cake. It works as an excellent replacement for butter. Orange zest — Fresh orange zest is added to our cake for flavor and instant appeal. Vanilla Essence — Vanilla essence lends a lovely flavor to our cake besides adding to its richness. Spices — Cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, and allspice are added to the cake to lift its flavor. Dried nuts and candied fruits — The ones that create magic in this cake are dried apricots, cashews, almonds, dried berries, dried mango, and Maraschino cherries. Apple juice — Used for soaking the nuts and dried fruits. The addition of orange juice will make the cake fragrant, yummy, and delicious. Protip — Soaking dried fruits in juice makes them more succulent and flavorful. You can soak the dried fruits for 2 days (if you choose to soak them in juice). This will make the fruits absorb the flavors abundantly.
Drain the juice — By the following day, the fruits and nuts would have soaked in a lot of orange juice and would have swollen and doubled in size. Drain the soaked fruits through a sieve and set them aside.
Preheat the oven — Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch springform baking pan with parchment paper and then spray with a non-stick spray. Set it aside. Combine dry ingredients — Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, allspice, cardamom powder, and salt in a separate bowl. The dry coating that forms on the fruits and nuts will keep them from sinking to the bottom, and they will stay suspended in the batter. This is an essential step, so do not omit it. This will prevent the sinking of fruits and nuts in the batter.
Assemble wet ingredients — Add the sugar and the oil to the bowl of your stand mixer. Mix it with a balloon whisk on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla essence and lemon zest to this mixture and mix until combined. Do not over-mix your batter. Now, add the flour-coated dried nuts and fruits to the batter. Fold the nuts and fruits into the batter. Bake the cake — Pour the batter into the prepared greased 8-inch pan and bake.
Cover with foil halfway during baking — To prevent excessive browning, cover the cake with a foil sheet halfway during the baking time. This allows restricted and just sufficient heat to bake the cake. Bake the cake for 50-55 minutes or until the toothpick inserted, comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 10- 12 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack.
I have decorated my cake with toasted nuts to give it a festive flair. You can garnish the cake in many different ways, like —
Cover with ganache Brush with a shiny glaze Garnish with a fruit jam or marmalade Adorn with a fruity glaze Deck up with butter-cream Dust some icing sugar over it Or simply brush it with alcohol or juice to render the cake a distinct flavor.
The color of the juice affects the color of the cake — The juice you choose to soak your dried fruits will affect the color of the cake. I have used the lighter color juice as I wanted the bright colors of the dried fruits to shine through. Depending entirely on your preference, you can use other non-alcoholic fruit juices like
Apple juice Cranberry juice Cherry juice, or even Grape juice. Since all these juices are dark in color, you may end up with a cake that is rich brown in color.
Adding the dried fruits to the batter — Always drain the soaked dried fruits and fold them into the batter only the next day.
Soaking in alcohol — If you are soaking the dried fruits and nuts in alcohol, you can soak them for 3- 4 days or even more days to rehydrate them perfectly. Adding to the Christmas fervor — To spice up the cake and add a dash of Christmas zeal, I have added orange zest, cinnamon powder, allspice, cardamom, and vanilla essence. You can feel free to experiment with flavorings and add nutmeg powder or ginger powder to it. Precautions while baking — Always line the pan with parchment paper and shortening as it prevents the cake from drying out due to the long baking time. Do not fill the baking pan till the brim — Make sure to fill 2/3 of the pan with the cake batter. This is because the batter expands while baking, and we need to leave some room for that to happen. Precautions when un-molding — This cake is heavily packed with candied fruits and dried nuts, and as such, it is liable to break if un-molded when hot. So, let it cool completely before you decide to un-mold it. Cutting instructions — Since the cake is dense, it is suggested that you use a serrated knife for an easy cut-through. Once you give it a try, I am sure this velvety-textured fully flavored delicious cake jammed with fruits and nuts is all set to become a major hit among your family and guests. Should you make this Vegan Spiced Fruit and nut cake, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
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