Dry fruits cake is a moist, rich cake that is perfect for holidays. The dry fruits have to be soaked before baking. It can be soaked in alcohol or 100% juice of an apple/grape, or orange. Allow it to soak for plenty of time, like more than three days for the alcohol version or 1-3 days for the non-alcoholic version.
The soaked fruits with the flour give a rich taste to the cake. I have used dark brown sugar for the color.
Table of Contents
Food for the thought
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
—Mother Teresa
Benefits of the ingredients (source)
Dry fruits: rich in healthy nutrients like magnesium, boron, vitamin K and calcium.
Dry ginger: soothe stomach irritation, headache, and the common cold. It also revs up metabolism and has anti-inflammatory properties.
Video for the dry fruits cake
Steps for preparing dry fruit cake
- Soak the dry fruits in the orange/grape juice. Then, allow it to rest for 1-2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
- Mix whole wheat flour, almond meal, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
- Combine sugar and water and mix well. Once the sugar dissolves, add oil, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients.
- Combine wheat flour with the soaked dry fruits and mix with the batter.
- Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Prepare cherry sauce and pour it on top. This is an optional step. Snow sugar on top.
Variations
Dry fruits: You can add dry fruits like cherries, prunes, figs, or walnut.
Soaking the fruits: you can soak dry fruits in rum or juice.
Soak in rum for three days at room temperature; if soaking for more than three days, soak them in the refrigerator. If soaking in orange, grape, or apple juice, soak in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Spice: You can add cardamom, pepper, cinnamon clove, nutmeg, and dry ginger. Ground and add all together or any 1 or 2 combinations you like.
Flour: I have used whole wheat flour. You can use all-purpose flour or a combination of both flours.
Oil: I have used olive oil here. You can use any neutral oil.
Lemon juice: use lemon juice or vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Water: use cold water. I have used 2 cups of cold water. You can reduce 1/4 cup of water since we are soaking in juice.
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Questions/Tips
Can I add any dry fruits?
You can add any dry fruits you like. Even pistachios and cranberries can be added.
What other options can I use to soak the dry fruits?
I have used fresh orange juice. You can use grape juice or alcohol. Store-bought juice can also be used.
Is it necessary to soak the dry fruits?
Yes, you have to soak the fruits. Otherwise, the fruits will be hard to bite while we bake the cake.
Should I store the dry fruits at room temperature or in the refrigerator?
After soaking the dry fruits in the juice, they must be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If stored in the alcohol, it can be left outside at room temperature for three days.
Can I use different flour for baking?
All-purpose flour can be used for baking. You can use a combination of flours too.
Will water help in baking?
Yes, it works perfectly fine. You can also use soy or almond milk to get a richer taste.
Is my batter too liquid? Will I get a soft cake?
Flour mixed with water will be more liquid but yield a soft cake. For example, I used 2 cups of water in the video, but you can reduce 1/4 cup of water.
Why should I mix the flour in the soaked fruits?
If you don’t mix the flour with the soaked fruits, the fruits will all go to the bottom layer. Unfortunately, I made this mistake and all the fried drowned in the batter.
How long should I bake the cake?
The dry fruit cake will take a longer time to bake. You have to bake this cake at a lower temperature for longer.
Meal prep/ How to store the dry fruits cake
Follow the directions. It stays good at room temperature for two days. If storing more than that, refrigerate the cake, which can hold for ten days.
Recipe card for Dry fruits cake
Dry fruits cake
Ingredients
To soak dry fruits
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup cup black raisins
- 1/4 cup currants
- 1/4 cup cashewnuts
- 1/4 cup chopped dates
- 1/3 cup dried apricots
- 1/4 cup dried papaya tutti fruti
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp dried ginger or candied ginger
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
For cake
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup almond meal
- a pinch salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1.5 cups dark brown sugar
- 1.75 cups cold water
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg & cinnamon each
Cherry sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup cherries
- 1/8 cup brown sugar`
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
Soaking dry fruits
- In a bowl, combine raisins, currants, cashew nuts, apricots, dates, dried papaya, orange zest, and dry ginger.
- Add orange juice and mix well. Allow it to rest for 1-2 days in the refrigertor.
For cake
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F - Stir wholewheat flour, almond meal, salt, and baking soda well in a bowl.
- In another bowl, combine sugar and water till the sugar disssolves.
- Add oil, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and mix well.
- Combine the dry ingredients to the wet to form a smooth batter.
- Take the soaked fruits from the refrigerator and mix 2 tbsp of whole whaeatflour.
- Add the soaked fruits to the batter and give a stir.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch pan.
- Tap twice and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
For cherry sauce(optional)
- In a saucepan, heat the cherries, sugar and water and prepare a sauce by smashing the cherries using fork.
- Filter the sauce and save the cherries.
To assemble the cake
- Prick hole in the cake here and there using toothpick. Pour 1 to 2 tbsp sauce on top and allow it to absorb for an hour.
- Snow some sugar on top and add the cherries and slice them.