Fruit Cake

Fruit Cake is a dense cake which is packed with candied fruits and nuts. It has its own variations in different countries. I have already shared my recipe for Indian Fruit Cake which is also called Kerala Plum Cake.Today I would like to share the recipe for the American Christmas Fruit Cake. It is very rich and more dense compared to the Indian one. It is an awesome gift to give away for the holidays or to enjoy with your family.

Ingredients
All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 4
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Ground Nutmeg - 1 tsp

Fruits and Nuts 
You need 5 cups total of chopped dried fruits and nuts. You can use any of the following depending on your taste and availability.

Tutti-Fruitti
Dates
Candied Cherries
Candied Pineapples
Cashews
Almonds
Walnuts
Pecans

Method
1. Take all the dried fruits and nuts in a large mixing bowl.
2. Sieve the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into this. Toss it.
3. Take the egg in a separate bowl and beat it. Add the sugar and vanilla essence to this.
4. Add this to the dry ingredients. Mix it thoroughly. This may take some effort and time as the cake batter is very thick.
5. Prepare your cake pan by greasing it with butter all over and dusting with some dry flour. If the cake pan is non stick or silicone, then you can skip this step.
6. Add the cake batter to the pan and press it to make the top even.
7. Bake it in a preheated 250 degree F (120 degree C) oven for about 2 hours. Check with an inserted tooth pick after 1.5 hours and remove it as soon as it comes out clean.
8. Let the cake cool completely before you remove it from the pan. Make and enjoy this fruit cake for this Christmas.