Christmas fruit cake

Christmas and cake go hand in hand. This cake has a touch of rich fruits and exotic spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. This recipe will seem to be long and complicated, but it is simple if you weigh all the ingredients well and grease/ line the cake tin before you begin.

Prepare the fruit cake

In pan mix dark brown soft sugar (500gm) , double cream ( 300ml)  and spices –mixed spices (1 tbspn), grounded cinnamon ( 2 tbspn), grounded nutmeg (1/4 tbspn) and grounded ginger (1 tbspn). Mix well and bring it to a boil on low heat. (Do not caramelise the sugar). Remove from the heat and keep it aside.

In a mixing bowl wisk eggs (6 nos) into a smooth paste now add flour (1 kg) and stir well. Add baking soda (1 tbspn) and Butter. Then add finely diced fruits like :-  ( sultans -250 gms), raisins ( 250gms), Currants ( 250 gms), dried apricot ( 250gms), glacier cherries ( 250 gms ), dried pineapple ( 250 gms), citrus peel ( 250 gms) , pitted prunes( 250 gms). ( These finely diced fruits are soaked overnight in orange juice (4 tbspn). Mix the mixture well.

Spoon the mixture in a well prepared tin. Line the round cake tin with a parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 150C/300 F/ GAS 2.  Bake the cake for 3-31/2 hrs. When the cake is cooked remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin.

When cold remove from the tin and feed the cake with boiled orange juice. Wrap the cake in aluminium foil and leave it in cold dark place for 2 days. The cake can be preserved for 2 months before icing. However feed the cake everyday with small amount of boiled orange juice or cold brandy or whisky. 

I have made this cake non-alcoholic using orange juice.

Enjoy the cake and Merry Christmas. This cake can stay for 2 months. 

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 3 hrs

Recipe: non vegetarian

Non alcoholic

All photograph's and text copyrights Trupti Rane's Spice Recipes and Trupti Rane's Spice Moments . Do not reproduce, copy without permission. All rights reserved.

Visit : www.truptiranespicerecipes.com  

Please use this recipe as a guideline and use your discretion to make the recipe or to make a substitution in the recipe. As results vary according to one's skills. 

Spinach and red pepper

This vegetable dish is easy, quick and tasty.

Preparation and cooking:

1. Wash baby spinach (180 gms) and pepper ( 1 nos)  in running tap water.
2. Chop spinach, red pepper, red onion (1 nos), garlic ( fat 4-5 cloves)  and red chilli (1nos). Keep them aside.
3. Add oil to a saucepan (1 tbspn) . When the oil is warm add garlic to it, followed by cumin seeds (1tspn), chopped red chilli and red onion.
4. Sauté the above mixture on medium heat.  
5. Then add turmeric (1 tspn) , kokum ( or tamarind 2 nos) , jaggery  ( ½  tspn). Mix well
6. Now add chopped spinach and red pepper.
7. Sprinkle salt (¼  tspn or as per taste). No sooner the salt is added, spinach will release water. Let the spinach and red pepper cook in this water.
8. Add chilli powder (½ tspn), olive oil (½ tspn) and kitchen king masala powder (1 tspn).
9. Sauté well on low heat until the mixture is tender and releases oil.
10. Serve hot with flat bread. 

    Recipe: Vegetarian

          Preparation time :10 mins

          Cooking time : 15 mins

All photograph's and text copyrights Trupti Rane's Spice Recipes and Trupti Rane's Spice Moments . Do not reproduce, copy without permission. All rights reserved.

Visit : www.truptiranespicerecipes.com  

Please use this recipe as a guideline and use your discretion to make the recipe or to make a substitution in the recipe. As results vary according to one's skills.