Eggless Fruit Cake Without Alcohol

Merry Christmas to all my family, friends and viewers. In conjunction to the most awaited long holiday season of the year, and well-cherished Christmas goodies, gifts and Santa Claus stories among kids and grown-ups, this year is never been whole without the making of fruit cake. Our family loves eggless bakes, and this cake recipe is adapted from Bincy Chris of Merry Boosters website  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K53PwJo_U5s&t=99s...I tweaked the recipe a bit. My cake is very dark as I have used molasses sugar or muscovado brown sugar and I used lots of dark raisins. This is a keeper recipe and the fruit cake was so lovely and tasty. We couldn't believe it was made without eggs. I hope you guys would give a try for this Christmas. 

Eggless Fruit Cake Without Alcohol

INGREDIENTS: 

Good quality salted butter - 150g

Premium molasses powder/ Muscovado dark sugar - 150g

Plain flour - 225g

Baking soda - 1 teaspoon

Thick yoghurt (strain it to discard the excess water) - 240ml

Raisins - 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup

Chopped cranberries - 1/2 cup

Chopped dates - 1/2 cup           

Chopped almond - 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Ground ground cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon

Ground cloves - 1/2 teaspoon

Ground nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon

Orange zest of 1 orange (You can add 2 tablespoons of fresh orange juice)

**DRY FRUITS AND NUTS CAN BE FROM 350 GRAM TO 375 GRAM**

METHOD:

1. First, add  a good quality salted butter and molasses/ muscovado brown sugar  in a baking bowl. Cream until fluffy and pale. Then, stir in the thick yoghurt that has been strained to remove the excess water.

2. On the other hand, sift plain flour, baking soda and spice powder. To the flour mixture, add all your chopped dry fruits and nuts, and give a good mix to coat well.

3. Now, combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Give a gentle fold and mix until the fruits and nuts are well coated.

4. Pre-heat your oven for 5 minutes at 170 degree Celsius.

5. Line your round baking tin with parchment paper. There is a link to teach you precise way to line your tin

6. Pour the cake batter into the tin and give a tap. 

7. Bake the cake in the oven for 1 hour or until it is baked well. You know this when you insert a skewer to top of the cake. If it comes clean, then your cake has baked properly. 

8. Remove the baking tin from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.

9. Finally, gently remove the cake from the pan and let it sit in a cooling rack until it is completely cool.

10. I have transferred the fruitcake into the fridge by storing it in a stainless steel container. The next day, in the morning, when the cake is still firm, I cut them into desirable pieces(It was an easy cutting process when the cake is chilled).

Thank you

Abby 

Pepparkakor 'SWEDISH GINGER SNAPS' - VERSION 1

Pepparkakor is the Swedish name for ginger snap that they usually bake during Christmas, and these cookies are so traditional and full of aromatic spices that give warmth in the cold winter time. These are not your conventional gingerbread cookies or English ginger snaps as they are made thin and crunchy. I have never heard of the cookies before, and when I stumbled across some sites, I found this unique cookies. The dough is slightly wet and sticky, and that's how it should be, and that's why it is kept in the fridge to rest overnight. The rolling of the dough has to be thin so that the cookies are crisp and crunchy. I made a mistake by rolling my second batch to normal sugar cookie thickness that took me more baking time. I recommend you to roll it thin so that it becomes like eating crackers. Give a try for this Christmas.

Pepparkakor 'SWEDISH GINGER SNAPS' - VERSION 1

INGREDIENTS: 

Good quality salted butter - 150g

Premium molasses powder - 250g

Plain flour - 450g

Baking soda - 1 teaspoon

Plain room temperature water - 100ml

Ground ginger - 1 tablespoon

Ground ground cinnamon - 1/2 tablespoon

Ground cloves - 1 teaspoon

Ground cardamom - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. First, add  a good quality salted butter and molasses powder(not syrup) in a heavy bottom saucepan, and keep the flame very low. Allow everything to melt and well combine. Then, set it aside to cool. 

2. In a big bowl, sift all purpose or plain flour and baking soda. Now add in all of the spice mix powder into the flour and give it a good stir. 

3. Pour in the cooled butter-molasses concoction into the dry ingredients in the big bowl and 100 ml of water. By using a wooden spoon, give it a good mix. If you find your dough dry, add little bit more water. The cookie dough will be fairly wet and sticky at this stage. Don't worry. 

4. Wrap the wet and sticky dough with a cling films plastic and keep it refrigerated for overnight.

5. The next day, knead the dough lightly and cut the dough to 4 parts. Roll out first part of the dough on a floured surface of a wooden board. Roll it thin to about 1/8 inch or 3mm. Cut desired shapes using cookie cutter.

6. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, watching closely, until the cookies are baked crisp and have started to darken slightly.

7. Cool in a rack, and store in an air tight container. 

Thank you

Abby