Celebrate With This Quick And Classic Fruitcake

The season of warmth, gatherings, and timeless traditions is finally here, and with it comes the perfect opportunity to capture the holiday spirit with a classic Christmas cake. Packed with dried fruits, gently spiced, and finished with your favorite toppings, this cake is meant to be shared with love. Here is a simple recipe to create a festive centerpiece for your celebrations.

Assemble the Dried Fruits and Nuts

In a glass jar, combine dates, raisins, tutti frutti, mixed berries, figs, and apricots. Soak them in grape juice, rum, or any other beverage of your choice for at least eight hours to ensure they are plump and flavorful.

Preheat the Oven

Preheating your oven is a necessary step for an even bake. While the oven warms up, ensure you grease your cake tin and line it with baking paper to prevent the batter from sticking.

Prepare the Cream

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Beat them together until the mixture is light and fluffy. This process incorporates air into the batter, providing the cake with a soft and desirable texture.

Mix the Ingredients

In the most crucial part of the process, start adding your eggs one by one, stirring continuously before mixing in the vanilla extract. Once combined, sift the baking powder, flour, salt, clove powder, cinnamon powder, and baking soda together. Gently fold this dry mix into the egg batter. Next, fold in the soaked dried fruits along with any remaining liquid. Mix everything until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Bake and Decorate

Pour your batter into the prepared tin and smooth out the top layer with a spatula. Bake for approximately 60 to 70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before starting the final decorations. You can add cherries, chocolate syrup, or festive sprinkles on top, or simply serve it as a freshly baked treat. (ANI)