X’mas 2011 and its time to bake some cake, chose the easiest of them and the least time extensive process, so its a simple mixed dry fruit cake.

Once you mix all the ingredients here is what you get below.

Ingredients:

1. 500 g self-raising flour.
2. 250 g light spread (healthy option to butter)
3. 1.5 tsp Vanilla flavoring
4. 4 eggs
5. 320 g caster sugar
6. 1/2 (60 ml) Milk
7. Icing sugar for decorating
8. 1 tsp baking powder
9. 1/2 tsp salt
10. Mixed dry fruits and nuts cut into small pieces
11. A Hand mixer or a cake mixer if u have one.
12. A cake tin or any other baking dish
13. and an Oven
14. and finally lots of love

The Process:

From a couple of initial failed attempts at baking, the key thing to get a good bake is all in the mixing stage, do not add all ingredients and mix together, mix them one by one making sure they are mixed well.

• Slightly beat the eggs (white and yolk together) and keep it separate.
• In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt and keep it aside.
• In a suitably large bowl, add the Light spread (used this instead of butter as a healthy option) and start whisking so that the spread starts to soften.
• Slowly add all of the caster sugar to the spread whisking it all along, after 5 minutes you should get a spongy smooth texture with the spread and sugar mixed well.
• Whisking it at low speed, add the whisked eggs slowly and whisk well to mix.
• Add the vanilla flavoring.
• After mixing well, add the flour mix in small quantities and make sure not to form any lumps.
• Again whisk well to form a very smooth consistency.
• Add milk if the flour becomes too thick
• Finally add the mixed nuts and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease a baking tin.
• Pour the cake mixture onto the greased tin.
• Sprinkle some mixed nuts on top.
• Stick it into the Oven second rack from top and leave it at 180C for approx 60 minutes.
• Make sure not to over bake it, the cake should have a golden texture to it.
• To check if the cake is done, insert a knife and it should come out clean without the cake sticking to it, if it does then the cake is baked.
• Sprinkle some icing sugar on top and brush the top with milk to give it a glazing.
• Finally bake for another 2 minutes at 180C.

And this is what it looks now.