(Image source from: Eggless Plum Cake Recipe)

With Christmas right on top of us and New Year just around the corner, it's time to pull out your tins and mittens and get baking some yummy goodies for your family and friends. Never mind if you are a vegan or a vegetarian. Our today's recipe covers a fantastic vegetarian cake recipe that we bet you and your family will love. Rock your tastebuds with this fantabulous Christmas Plum cake recipe and ring in the Christmas and New Year with a bang. Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of brown sugar (white sugar may also work)

1 cup of mixed dry fruits like raisins, sultanas, dates, cherries, tutti fruity, etc

2 tbsp of finely chopped cashew nuts

2 tsp of baking powder 

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of vanilla extract (or 1 tsp orange or lemon zest works better)

1 tsp of mixed spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc

1/2 cup of butter

2.5 tbsp of any neutral oil (like veg oil)

1 tsp of salt

2/3 cup of water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C. Grease and line an 8" cake pan or muffin tray / mini loaf pan.
Bring the water to boil in a pan and add the dry fruits (leave out the tutti fruity if using them) and the sugar. Simmer for about 7-10 minutes until the dates have softened yet don't turn mushy. Turn off flame, remove the pan and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Then, add the butter, vanilla (or zest) and baking soda. The mixture will foam a bit, that's normal and fine, much like the step in the sticky date cake recipe. Set aside to cool.

In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the spice powders and mix well to combine. To this, add the cashew nuts and tutti fruity if using. You can also add some chopped preserved cherries at this stage.

Add the cooled fruit mixture to the flour mixture and add the oil. Gently fold until the batter has no flour streaks left in in it.

Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 50 minutess. If the top seems to be cooking too quickly, loosely cover the cake tray with aluminium foil and leave a slit in the middle for air to escape. If you have a large oven, bake this cake in the middle rack. Keep an eye on it starting at about 40 minutes but the cake will take longer to bake than usual ones.

Loosely adapted from Food.com

AW: Suchorita Dutta Choudhury