Vegan Chocolate Fruit Cakes

3/4 cup softened Earth Balance vegan butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup non dairy milk

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

3 tablespoons ground flax seed

6 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup good quality brandy

1/4 cup chopped medjool dates

1/4 cup chopped dried cherries

1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped dried plums

1/8 cup chopped candied ginger

1 tablespoons orange zest

Cream together the Earth Balance vegan butter and the sugars till light and creamy. 

Whisk together the non dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, flax seed, water and vanilla and let sit 5 minutes to thicken up. 

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. 

In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the brandy, dried fruits, candied ginger, and zest. Heat just till warm. Remove from heat and let the mixture sit 5 minutes. 

Add the flax/milk mixture and the brandy/dried fruits mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix to combine. Add in the flour mixture and stir just till combined. 

Pour into buttered and floured bundt pans. This can make 1 large sized bundt cake. I used 6 small bundt pans. For a large cake, bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes at 325 degrees F. For the small ones, I baked them for about 55 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes and remove from bundt pans. Cool completely before icing. 

For the royal icing, combine 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 4 teaspoons non dairy milk, 2 teaspoons organic corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Whisk till smooth. Drizzle over the tops of the cakes. I garnished mine with a cranberry and mint leaves cut to look like holly.