Fruit Cake

Ingredients
Dried Fruits - 1 cup (Chop the big ones into small pieces)
Nuts - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup(for caramelizing)
Baking powder - 1 tspn
salt - 1/2 tspn
Baking Soda - 1/4 tspn
Cinnamon powder,clove powder,nutmeg powder - 1/4 tspn each
Grated orange zest - 1/2 tspn
Pure Vanilla extract - 1 tspn
Sugar - 1 cup
Butter -1 stick ( 1/4 lb)
Eggs - 3 ( For vegetarians use Egg replacer or Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup)
Preparation
1.Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature.
2.Coat the chopped dried fruits in one tblspn flour and soak them in orange juice/Rum/Brandy for few hours.
3.Heat 1/4 cup sugar in a sauce pan with 1/2 tblspn water.
4.When the sugar begin to caramelize gently stir with a spooon.Keep stirring slowly untill all the sugar caramelize and turn to a dark syrup.
5.Remove the pan from the stove and pour 1/4 cup of warm water to the syrup.This may splash so stay away from the pan.
6.Stir the syrup water and let it cool.
7.Add vanilla to this and set aside.
8.Preheat the oven to 350 degree.
9.In a mixing bowl,whisk 1 cup of sugar and butter to a creamy consistency.Add the eggs one by one.
10.In another bowl mix the flour with salt ,baking powder,baking soda,cinnamon,ginger and clove powder.
11.Add nuts and fruits to this mixture.
12.Add the orange zest.Mix with a spoon.
13.Add the caramel vanilla water and mix well.
14.Now add the sugar/butter/egg mixture and mix again.
15.Pour this batter to a greased baking pan up to 3/4 .( Do not fill the pan completely)
16.Bake it for an hour or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
 The baking time varies depending on your oven and the type of paking pan you use.