Give me a slice of a well made, simple,unfrosted cake with my cuppa and I need nothing else! I am especially partial to the fruity and nutty variety. So here is a very simple basic vanilla cake loaded with dry fruit and nuts.
Fruit and Nut Cake
APF/Maida- 1 Cup+1 Tsp (for dusting the fruit and nut mixture)
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Eggs,at room temperature- 2 ( To make an eggless version- you may use 1/4 cup of curd/yogurt in place of each egg. Be careful not to make the batter runny though. We are looking for a thick dropping consistency)
Powdered sugar- 1 Cup
Butter,at room temperature- 80 grams
Vanilla extract- 1 Tsp
Mixed fruit and nuts- 1 Cup (I used cherries, tutti fruity, chopped almonds, cashews and walnuts, cranberries and raisins)
Milk,at room temperature- ¼ cup (use only if needed)
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C and prepare a cake tin by lining and greasing.
Sift the flour and baking powder twice and set aside.
Mix the fruits and nuts and sprinkle a tsp of APF/Maida and mix well coating them. This will ensure that the nuts do not sink to the bottom on baking.
Take sugar and butter in a medium size bowl and beat with an electric beater till light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and beat till they are incorporated into the mix.
Add in the vanilla essence and mix once.
Fold in the flour with a spatula.
If the batter is too thick, add some milk. I needed to add about 1 tbsp. We need a thick dropping consistency batter.
Gently fold in the fruit and nut mixture.
Bake on 180C for 40 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Let cool and slice. Enjoy!
