Fruit cake (short- cut recipe)
old fashioned fruit cake made with boxed cake mix and no soak dry fruits.
Servings 6
Calories 195kcal
Ingredients
- Betty Crocker boxed cake mix
- 2 Eggs (at room temperature)
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter (1/2 a stick)- around 50 gm (at room temperature)
- 2 tsp Orange peel chopped finely
- 1/2- 1 tsp Vanilla pure extract
Dry fruits
- 1/4 cup Cashewnut
- 1/4 cup Black raisins
- 1/4 cup Golden raisins
- 1/4 cup Candied cherries
Spice powders
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1/8 tsp Cloves powder
- 1/8 tsp Nutmeg powder
Caramelizing
- 3 tsp Granulated sugar to caramelize
- 3 tsp Granulated sugar to neutralize the bitterness
- 1/2 cup hot water
Instructions
- Carefully peel the orange (about 1/3 rd of an orange). Chop it finely. Alternatively use zest if peel is difficult.Split and cut the cashew nut into two.Chop the candied cherry.Keep 1/2 a cup of boiling hot water ready.
- In a heavy bottom pot caramelize the sugar by adding 3 tsps of sugar on lowest heat . Stir until it starts melting then allow the sugar to brown slowly until it starts bubbling (see video for reference).At this point pout the water into the caramelized sugar very carefully (serious buns may occur from spluttering) so cover with the lid as you pour to avoid accidents.
- Once this caramelized sugar and water is completely mixed add the orange peel and boil if water is drying up add 1/4 cup more then add nuts give it a few Mts and finally add raisins let this fluff up. Switch off heat and allow this to cool down completely. Now separate the liquid from dry fruits and keep both aside.
- Cream the butter by beating it then add eggs beat well. (It will look curdled no worries) add the spice powders the caramelized sugar liquid, vanilla extract.Finally sift in the box cake flour - 3/4 th. Add 3-4tbsp of flour to the boiled dry fruits combine well and add that to the prepared cake batter also the candied cherries.Transfer into a lined loaf pan
- Preheat oven to 350°F and bake for 40-50 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. (May take longer sometimes)
- Cool the cake on a wire rack and keep in an airtight container and use within 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
This is a dense cake hence it will dry as it sits remember to keep it in an air tight container.
If there is too much liquid add a tsp or two of the cake flour else the cake will not cook in the center and the sides will dry out brown too much.
Why use cake mix ?
It contains all purpose flour, sugar and rising agent in the right proportion and it will rise no matter what. So if you need to adjust flour if the cake batter is moist the batter will not become too dense.Â