Christmas Chocolate Fruit Cake

Finally the most awaited Christmas vacation is here, obviously my oven is bit busy since two days, am catching up with many bakes i have missed doing during last two months. I have couple of cakes and breads to give a try at home as they suits prefectly awesome for the upcoming Christmas celebration. If you are still waiting or searching to make a super rich christmas fruit cake with loads of nuts or fruits then today's cake will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. This cake goes for chocolate chips and cocoa powder, obviously a prefect Christmas treat for a chocoholic person like me. Actually i forget to soak the dry fruits for making this Christmas special cakes, but cooking them in honey and brown sugar gives them an excellent texture as much as like the soaked ones. However i didnt missed the flavor of the soaked dry fruits in this cake. The spice powder, orange zest added in this rich cake brings the holiday mood while having this cake.

The addition of chocolate chips makes this cake more delicious, highly rich in chocolate. However this rich Christmas cake loaded with dryfruits and nuts makes an excellent Christmas gift. You can carry them very well for a Christmas party and this cake will definitely satisfy everyone's tastebuds. I didnt add rhum in this cake obviously this cake is alcohol free but not egg free or butter free. Butter and eggs gives the richness to this beautiful cake.Dont hesitate to go for this version of Christmas cake eventhough they are loaded with butter and eggs, however its festival time and do treat yourself with this alluring cake without any guilt.This cake is this week's challenge of Subhashini's Bake Along.

3cups All-purpose flour
1cup Cocoa powder
2tsp Baking powder
1tsp Salt
3tsp Mixed spice powder
1tbsp Orange zest
1/2cup Orange juice
350grms Butter
1+1/2 cups Granulated white sugar
3/4cups Brown sugar
2tsp Pure vanilla extract
5nos Eggs
1+1/2cups Thick Curd
2cups Mixed dry fruits
1/2cup Mixed nuts
1cup Chocolate Chips

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Mixed Spice powder: grind 2 sticks of cinnamon, 4 cloves, 3 cardamon, 1/4 nutmeg along with a tablespoon of granulated white sugar in the small jar of your food processor.

Sift it using a sieve and use the finest of the powder.

Cooking the dryfruits: Bring a half a cup of water to boil, add the dry fruits, 2tbsp of honey, 1/4cup Brown sugar, cook in simmer until the fruits gets cooked.
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Line up two 8 inch round pans with butter and parchment paper on the bottom and the sides of the pan.

Butter on top of the parchment paper as well. Do not skip this step.

Sift together all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, spices and zest of orange. Keep aside.

Add butter, granulated white sugar and brown sugar into the bowl of your electric beater.

Beat butter and sugar on medium high speed for about 5 to 7 minutes until creamy.

Add the eggs one by one and beat for about one minute after the addition of each egg on medium speed.

Add vanilla extract and beat for about a minute until it combines well.

Add thick curd in the jar of your food processor and blend for just few seconds to butter milk consistency. Do not add any water to it. Keep aside.

Add 2 tablespoons of flour onto the dry fruits to coat the fruits with flour. Set aside, this method avoids the fruits sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Add 1/3rd of the flour mixture into the batter and beat on low speed just until combined. Do not over mix.

Mix orange juice and the curd together and add 1/2 of the liquid mixture into the batter and beat  Do not over mix.

Continue adding the second portion of the flour, beat just until combined, followed with the remaining portion of the liquid mixture and end with the flour mixture.

Beat just until combined after each addition of dry and wet ingredients.

Add the fruits and nuts into the batter mix well using a spatula.

Finally fold in the chocolate chips  thoroughly. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into the prepared tins.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 350F for 35 to 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool on wire rack.

3verre de Farine
1verre de Poudre de cacao
2c à café de Levure chimique
1c à café de Sel
3c à café de Poudre de Melange d'épices
1c à soupe de Zeste d'orange
1/2verre de Jus d'orange
350grms de Beurre
1+1/2 verres de Sucre
3/4verre de Cassonade
2c à café d'extrait de vanille
5 oeufs
1 +1/2verre de Yaourt
2verres de Fruits secs (mixtes)
1/2verre de Noix 'mixtes)
1verre de Pépites de chocolat

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Poudre de mélange d'épices : Moudre 2 bâtons de cannelle , 4 clous de girofle, cardamome, 3/4 muscade avec une cuillère à soupe de sucre dans le petit pot de votre robot .

Tamiser la poudre.
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Badiegonner les moules à gateaux avec du beurre et mettre du papier sulfurisé sur le fond et les côtés des moules .

Tamiser la farine , la poudre de cacao , la levure chimique , le sel , les épices et le zeste d'orange . Gardez de côté.

Ajouter le beurre , le sucre  et la cassonade dans le bol de votre batteur électrique .

Battre le beurre et le sucre pendant environ 5 à 7 minutes jusqu'a que la consistance soit crémeuse.

Ajouter les œufs,un par un,l'extrait de vanille et battre pendant environ une minute.

Ajouter le yaourt dans le bol de votre robot et mélanger pendant quelques secondes.  Gardez de côté.

Ajouter 2 cuillères à soupe de farine sur les fruits secs pour enrober les fruits avec de la farine . Mettre de côté . Cette méthode permet d'éviter que les fruits coule au fond du gâteau.

Ajouter 1 / 3 du mélange de farine dans la pâte et battre à vitesse basse. Ne pas trop mélanger.

Mélanger le jus d'orange et le yaourt dans un bol.

Ajouter 1/2 du mélange liquide dans la pâte et battre jusqu'à consistance soit homogène .

Continuez à ajouter la deuxième partie de la farine, avec la partie restante du mélange liquide et se termine par le mélange de farine .

Ajouter les fruits et les noix dans la pâte et mélanger avec une spatule.

Enfin mettre les pépites de chocolat dans la pate.

Verser la pâte dans les moules préparés .

Cuire au four préchauffé à 350 ° F pendant 35 à 45 minutes, pour vérifier la cuisson insérer un cure dent dans le gâteau, si il ressort propre cela signifie que le gâteau est cuit.

Laisser refroidir sur une grille.