Description
Delightful Sugar-Free Fruit Cake brings Mediterranean sweetness without refined sugars, offering a guilt-free dessert experience. Packed with natural dried fruits and wholesome ingredients, this cake delivers rich flavor while keeping health-conscious bakers satisfied.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits and Liquid:
- 215 pounds (97.5 kilograms) dried fruit
- 3 cups (720 milliliters) water
- 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) sherry or port (optional)
Flour and Thickener:
- 3 cups (375 grams) self-raising whole wheat flour
Spices:
- 6 teaspoons instant coffee
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or mixed spice
Instructions
- Combine dried fruits with aromatic spices like instant coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger in a spacious mixing vessel.
- Heat water until simmering and cascade over the fruit blend, thoroughly integrating the ingredients.
- Optional enhancement: incorporate sherry or port for depth of flavor. Allow mixture to rest and absorb liquid overnight or until completely cooled.
- Calibrate oven to 150C (300F) and prepare a 20cm cake tin with protective lining.
- Create a central cavity in the flour, then gently introduce the macerated fruit mixture, stirring until harmoniously blended.
- Carefully transfer the batter into the prepared tin, ensuring an even, smooth surface.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, monitoring until a testing skewer emerges with minimal residue.
- Allow cake to rest within the tin for 10-15 minutes, then transition to a cooling rack for complete temperature reduction.
Notes
- Soak dried fruits thoroughly to ensure maximum moisture and flavor absorption in the cake.
- Replace sherry with apple juice or orange juice for a non-alcoholic version that maintains moisture and adds subtle sweetness.
- Use gluten-free flour blend to make this recipe suitable for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.
- Experiment with different spice combinations like cardamom or allspice to customize the cake’s flavor profile.
- Prep Time: Overnight (or until fully cooled)
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Western
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 357
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 85 g
- Fiber: 9 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg