Vinegar Cake

5 from 2 votes

Vinegar in a cake? Well yes, it helps to make this egg-free fruit cake rise in a rather spectacular fashion. It has a nice soft crumb and is pleasantly fruity as well as malty with an unexpected sort of sprightliness about it.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Course: Afternoon Tea, Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: cake, dried fruit, fruit cake, vinegar

Servings: slices

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

250 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (I used 1 tbsp mesquite powder and 1 tbsp maca powder, placed them on the scales then added plain flour to make the weight up to 250g)
250 g wholemeal flour (whole wheat)
1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
200 g unsalted butter fridge cold and cut into small pieces
500 g dried fruit (I used a mix of sultanas, raisins, chopped dried apples, goji berries and homemade crystallised orange peel)
50 g dark chocolate (optional) chopped
300 ml milk + 1 tbsp for mixing
50 ml apple cider vinegar malt vinegar works well too
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
2 tbsp golden syrup
2 tbsp demerara sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Sift the flours (along with mesquite and / or maca if using) into a large mixing bowl along with the salt.
250 g plain flour (all purpose flour), 250 g wholemeal flour (whole wheat), 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
200 g unsalted butter
Stir in the dried fruit and chocolate, if using.
500 g dried fruit, 50 g dark chocolate
Pour the milk into a large jug or bowl and add the vinegar.
300 ml milk, 50 ml apple cider vinegar
In a cup, stir the bicarbonate of soda into the reserved 1 tbsp of milk until dissolved.
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Add this to the milk mixture and watch in amazement as it froths up and up and up.
Pour onto the dry ingredients together with 2 tbsp golden syrup and mix until just incorporated.
2 tbsp golden syrup
Spoon into a 23cm (9 inch) round silicone cake mould or lined tin and level the top.
Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top and bake in a preheated oven at 170℃ (338℉, Gas 3) for 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until the cake is risen and an inserted toothpick comes out more or less clean.
2 tbsp demerara sugar
Leave to cool for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely - if you can wait that long.

Notes

If using large pieces of dried fruit such as dates, apricots or prunes, cut them into small bits, roughly the size of a large raisin.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Pasta is not included in the calculation. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition