Light Fruit Cake (VIDEO)

 As the name suggests, this is a light fruit cake made with dry fruits. This cake has no fuss of caramelizing sugars and no wait time to serve the cake. The best part of this cake is that you can enjoy this cake the same day. This light fruit cake can be made not just for Christmas season but all throughout the year. This cake is light, tender, moist and buttery. You can even mix the dry fruits mixed in alcohol if you like that version, but I have skipped adding alcohol. The cake is loaded with dry fruits that you get to bite in every bite.

This cake is  totally dedicated to people who don't like the Traditional Plum Cake. It has candied cherries, candied cranberries and tutti fruity. This cake is a rework of my tutty fruity cake that I posted a long time back. I have made that cake with wheat flour alone and that's a little denser compared to this one, also it has only tutti fruity whereas this cake has candied cherries, has custard powder which gives that yellow hue and lighter texture to the cake. Do give this a try if you don't want to make the elaborate traditional Kerala style Plum Cake with spice mix and caramelized sugar. Enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 20 minutes

Baking time ~ 30-40 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 2 round cakes of 450 gms each

Ingredients

dry ingredients

wheat flour 2 cups

custard powder 3 tbsp

baking powder 2 tsp

salt a pinch

wet ingredients

milk 3/4 cup 

butter 150 gms (10 tbsp)

powdered sugar 1 cup

pineapple essence 1 tsp

eggs 3

tutty fruity 1/2 cup

candied cranberry 1/4 cup
candied cherries 1/4 cup

Method

• Sift the dry flours- wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt twice or thrice. Keep aside.
• Take the dry fruit mix in a bowl, chop any dry fruits as needed. Reserve about 2 tbsp of dry fruits for garnish and add a tbsp of flour to the remaining dry fruit mix (I used candied cherry and tutty fruity). Give a quick mix and keep ready.
• In another bowl, beat the butter until creamy and pale. To this, add the powdered sugar and mix using a spatula to combine so that the sugar doesn't fly out. Then beat again with a hand beater.
• Break the egg and add one by one till creamy. The mixture may look creamy and curdled. Now add pineapple essence. Combine well.

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F or 170 degrees C and line two trays of 6' or 5' rounds with parchment paper and apply butter on the sides. Dust with flour and shake off excess. Keep ready.
• Finally, start adding the flour mix little by little and mix using a spatula. Add milk by little and flour, mix alternatively till you finish mixing the batter. The batter looks thick, add milk to adjust consistency. Add the dry fruit mix coated with flour. Mix everything to combine.
• Garnish with the reserved dry fruit mix. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 mins(Mine was baked at 35 minutes).
• Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cool completely, cut in slices and enjoy !!

NOTES

* The cake is moderately sweet, but if you like it very sweet, then go upto 1 1/4 cup.

* I have used wheat flour, but if you like it lighter texture then go with all-purpose flour(maida). The measures remain the same except that you may need a little less milk than with wheat flour. So add mik little by little and check consistency.

* I have used vanilla custard powder, but you can use any flavour custard powder. Also, can use corn starch alone too, but you may not get that yellow hue of vanilla custard powder.

* You can even add chopped almonds and cashews or any nuts chopped. Also add candied pineapple, black raisins.

RELATED POSTS

* Traditional Plum Cake

* Whole Wheat Plum Cake

* Eggless Plum Cake

* Eggless Tutti Fruity Cake

* Wheat flour Tutti Fruity Cake