Fruit & Nut Cake

Preparation time : 2 hours approx.
Serves : 8

Ingredients :

Dried Cranberry  : 1/3 cup
Apricots : 1/3 cup
Raisins : 1/3 cup
( 1 cup of fruit and 1 cup of nuts all together )
Cashew nuts : 1/4 cup
Almonds : 1/4 cup
Pistachio : 1/4 cup
Walnut : 1/4 cup
Water : 2 cups
All purpose flour / maida : 1 3/4 cup
Sugar : 1 cup
Baking soda : 1 tsp
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder : 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder : 1/2 tsp
Candied orange peel : few (optional )
Vanilla extract : 1tsp
Butter : 1/2 cup / 8 tbsp / 125grms

Method :

Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.
Chop your fruits and nuts into small pieces.

Take your dried fruits into a sauce pan, add 2 cups of water.
Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 mins.

Take a bowl, add maida (or) all purpose flour in it.
Add sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder.
Mix all dry ingredients good, keep it aside.
By this time your fruit will be cooked, take it into a bowl.
Add butter into this , and allow butter to melt.
Let this mixture to cool down for 15 mins or so.
After it cooled down a bit, add vanilla extract, mix it once.
Slowly fold in dry ingredients that we kept aside.
Now incorporate or fold in nuts and candied orange peel.
Pour the mixture into a greased bunt pan or any other non stick pan.
(Make sure you greased your pan properly)

Bake it in oven for 30 - 40 mins until inserted toothpick comes out clean from the centre.
Allow cake to cool in the pan for 30 mins and flip out on to a cooling rack to further cool.
This is a fruit and nut cake, they tend to be a little dense because of heaviness of fruits and nuts, they are not as spongy like regular cakes.
Serve it warm or cold.
You can sprinkle some powdered sugar on top.
Enjoy your cake :)
Thank you , do post your comments !!!