Egg Free Fruit Cake
Egg Free Fruit Cake
Mamta Gupta
Many Indian vegetarians do not eat eggs. This cake recipe is for them. I first made it more than 30 years ago in late seventies/early eighties, when my late mother and mother in-law used to visit from India. Being strict vegetarians, eating standard cakes was out of question for them. Origins of this recipe are not known to me, it must have been made by some enterprising cook during the war years, when eggs were too precious to use in cooking. As it does not have eggs in it, the cake is a little more crumbly than egg based cakes.
Ingredients
250 gm. self raising flour*, sifted
250 gm. dried mixed fruit
125 gm. butter or margarine at room temperature (it should be soft, so that it can be beaten easily)
120 gm. fine granulated sugar
180-200 ml milk (12-14 tbsp.)
1 tbsp.white vinegar
1 level tsp. bicarbonate of soda
3-4 drops of vanilla extract, if you have it
1-2 tsp. caster sugar for sprinkling on top.
*Self raising flour=250 gm. plain flour (maida) +10 gm. (1 dessert spoon) baking powder +1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
Set oven at 180 C (160 C in fan oven) or 350 F or Gas 4.
Grease a cake tin and line with grease proof paper. I use silicone tins these days. Nothing sticks to them and it is much easier to take things out of them.
Cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. I use an electric beater, but you can use hand whisk.
Gradually sieve in (to remove any lumps) flour. Fold it in as much as possible.
Stir in the milk slowly, enough to make a thick mix, not as soft as the normal sponge cake.
Add and mix vanilla extract, if used.
Mix vinegar and bicarbonate of soda in a cup and add to the above mixture. Fold it in.
Fold in dried fruits. You can use just raisins and seeds instead.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until firm. Carry out the skewer test; insert a skewer or a sharp knife into the body of the cake and pull it out. If the cake is ready, it should come out clean, with no cake mix sticking to it.
Remove, sprinkle castor sugar (optional) and cool on a wire rack.
Allow to cool completely before storing it away.
