Home Made Christmas Apricot Walnut Fruitcake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped dried apricots (unsweetened, if possible)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
•  2 cups glace cherries, roughly chopped (I used one cup red and one cup green)
• 1 cup mixed peel
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup orange juice (no sugar added)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar or sugar substitute
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup brandy or orange juice (for soaking, optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, combine the chopped dried apricots and walnuts. Toss them with a little flour to coat (this helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake).
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the applesauce, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
4. In another bowl, beat the eggs with granulated sugar or sugar substitute until well combined.
5. Combine the wet ingredients (applesauce mixture) with the beaten eggs and sugar.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
7. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
8. Fold in the chopped apricots and walnuts cherries, peel
9. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
10. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
11. Optional: While the cake is still warm, you can brush the top with brandy or orange juice for added flavor.
12. Allow the fruitcake to cool completely before slicing.

W/W Points per Serving

The points For a typical serving size (1/12 of the loaf), it’s 4W/W points,