Ingredients: cup Raisins - /sultanas, cup Prunes - chopped, cup Apricots - chopped, cup Dates - chopped, cup Dried Figs - chopped, ml Rum - or brandy  (optional), ml Fresh orange juice, tablespoons Orange Zest (Rind), cups All Purpose Flour (Maida), teaspoon Baking powder, cups Butter (unsalted) - at room temperature (1-1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil), cup Brown Sugar (Demerara Sugar), cup Almond Meal (Badam Powder), teaspoon Cinnamon Powder (Dalchini), teaspoon Cloves (Laung) - ground, teaspoon Dry ginger powder, cup Badam (Almond) - or macadamia nuts, tablespoons Flax seed powder (flax meal), tablespoons Chilled water, Vegetarian diet
Instructions: To begin making the Eggless or Vegan Christmas Cake Recipe, we first have to soak all the dry fruits in rum and juice (you can avoid the rum). This process helps ferment the fruits and also helps to release all the flavors and make the christmas cake moist and rich.Place the sultanas, dried prunes, dried dates, dried figs and dried apricots into a large mixing bowl. Pour over the rum and orange juice and sprinkle over the orange zest. Mix until well combined, then cover the bowl with cling film and set aside overnight or a few weeks or a month or a year. They say the longer you ferment, the fruits get fermented, the richer the taste of the christmas cake.To Make Flax Meal Egg Replacer If your recipe asks for 4 eggs, measure 12 tablespoons of flax meal along with 6 tablespoons of water. Stir well and let the mixture rest for about 15 minutes. This process of resting helps the flax meal mixture develop a gelatinous consistency similar to eggs.To make the Batter Proceed to the remaining steps are once the fermentation of the fruits are over.Preheat the oven to 170 C.Sift the flour, baking powder and the spices together and keep aside. I like to sift it twice over as the flour gets good air pockets and also makes the cake more fluffy.Line the base and sides of a 9 inch spring foam cake pan with a double layer parchment paper, making sure the paper reaches the top of the tin.In a large bowl or a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, whisk the butter (oil) and sugar together until fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs (flaxmeal egg replacer), one at a time. Add in the flour slowly until well combined.Slowly add in the soaked dried fruits, its liquids, the almond powder, chopped nuts and combine it into the flour mixture. Dont over beat, we just want all the ingredients to be well combined.Spoon the above cake mixture into the spring foam pan and level the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 and a half hours approximately or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.The cake typically tends to darken a lot during baking, if this happens cover the top with parchment paper in the middle of the baking process.Once the christmas cake is baked remove it from the oven allow it to cool completely in the pan.Store the Christmas Cake (eggless/ vegan) in an airtight container, wrapped in greaseproof paper and aluminium foil, for two to three months.You can also bake the Traditional Christmas Cake in smaller pans and gift them to your family this holiday season.Serve the Traditional Christmas Cake along with Qahwa | Arabic Coffee Recipe and Ginger Cardamom Chai (Spice Infused Indian Style Milk Tea) to compliment the cake for your evening.