Eggless Olive Oil, Fruit & Nut Cake

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I just can’t believe that the first quarter of this year has been kissed goodbye. Three whole months have come and gone and I wonder if I have achieved anything substantial at all but in my defence, I did make some resolutions despite telling you guys that I wouldn’t be making any this year. One of them was to tell at least 10 people who made a difference in my life that I was grateful to them for their presence/encouragement/love/support. I managed to tell 5 and this was in Feb. In March I decided to pick up my habit of reading which I had sadly abandoned when motherhood encroached into my ‘me time’. While I am glad that my blog kept my writing skill (or the lack of it) alive, reading books completely took a backseat. While I voluntarily gave up watching TV after moving to Dubai, I would still manage to watch movies and shows on YouTube once a month or so. I would still read a lot of articles on my phone or computer but curling up with a nice smelling book (yeah, books need to smell right for me) seemed like a thing of the past.

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So let’s head to today’s recipe. Here’s a simple yet delicious cake for you to enjoy. I made this for Christmas and procrastination made sure that I posted the recipe in time for Easter. This lovely, moist cake is eggless and uses olive oil instead of butter . Having said that, this cake does not masquerade as ‘healthy’ because cakes are not healthy no matter what you replace with what. It is definitely suitable for those looking to avoid eggs and butter for reasons that vary from religious observances to food intolerances or lack of the aforementioned ingredients in one’s pantry.

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I sum up – A cake must be eaten occasionally and while you are at it, indulge and enjoy it to the fullest, guilt free! This cake is festive but can also be served along with your evening cuppa. So go ahead, make this cake. Sometimes, life can be a piece of cake, if you intend it to be.

 

Eggless Olive Oil, Fruit & Nut Cake
Prep time: 15 mins | Baking time: 40-45 mins | Yield: 7″ round cake

Ingredients:

• 225 grams all purpose flour (maida)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 150 grams caster sugar * see notes
• 125 ml milk
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 150 ml olive oil (not extra virgin)
• 100 grams mixed dried fruit
• 25 grams pine kernels (or chopped walnuts or peeled almonds)

Method:
1. Grease and line a 7″  or 8″ round cake tin with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C
2. Sift the flour, baking powder and pinch of salt into a bowl. Stir in the caster sugar
3. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the milk and orange juice. Use a whisk to mix everything together making sure that there are no lumps. Add in the olive oil and whisk till smooth.
4. Roll the dried fruit and nuts in a little flour and add these to the batter. Gently fold till incorporated and pour into the prepared pan and smoothen the surface using the back of a spoon or palette knife.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or till the skewer inserted comes out clean.
6. Remove and place the tin over a wire rack to cool. After 10 minutes unmould and let the cake cool completely before slicing.

Notes:
This recipe uses very little sugar (50grams), I increased it upto 150 grams. Do taste the batter and increase it by another 50 grams (total 200 grams caster sugar) if you like a sweeter. Do not exceed 200 grams as the cake contains mixed dried fruit which will let out some sweetness too.