Get ready to try the best holiday cake you’ve ever had! Thanks to our friends at ABC’s The Chew for this tasty recipe.
For more recipes and crafts, visit TheChew.com and tune in weekdays, 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT on ABC.
Servings: 10–12
1 to 2 hours
Ingredients
Holiday Cake:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temperature, for greasing)
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots (finely chopped)
1/2 cup dried figs (finely chopped)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups canola oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 cups carrots (peeled, finely grated)
1/2 cup walnuts (roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish)
1/2 cup pistachios (roughly chopped, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish)
Glaze:
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 orange (zested)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Step-by-step Directions
- For the Holiday Cake: Preheat oven to 300ºF. Grease a tube pan with butter and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add red wine, raisins, apricots, and figs and allow to soak while preparing the batter.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, light brown sugar, canola oil, eggs, vanilla extract, apple sauce, and grated carrots.
- Strain the re-hydrated fruits, reserving 2 tablespoons of red wine. Stir the reserved red wine into the sugar mixture. Whisk the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the re-hydrated fruits, 1/2 cup of walnuts, and 1/2 cup of pistachios.
- Remove batter into prepared pan and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 50–55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from tube pan and allow to cool completely.
- For the Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt. Pour over the cooled cake and top with remaining walnuts and pistachios.
Tips
- Make it your own! Use any combination of dried fruits and nuts to give your holiday cake your own personal touch!
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