Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Fruit Cake | Christmas Baking

Christmas Fruit Cake
Last week saw me cleaning up my pantry with a vengeance.Whatever leftover nuts and dried fruits got soaked into a bottle filled with rum and my fridge is stocked with slabs of butter and a huge number of eggs:)

Yes,I am one among those minority folks who start baking for Christmas very late.I keep postponing the chopping-fruits-soaking part to the last possible time.But once I start,then there's no stopping.I have kept aside batches of soaked fruits delegating them for Xmas,New Year,for keeping,for giving away and so on.Light Fruit Cake was a great start and I am taking it forward with this delicious Fruit Cake from Saee's Myjhola.
Christmas Fruit Cake
Nothing beats the thrill of cutting a slice of homemade cake and even better if you are sharing it with someone.Fruit Cakes get a lot of bad press due to their characteristic chock-a-block fruits in every bite and a strong smell of alcohol.Maybe because I love dry fruits or maybe because I grew up eating Plum Cakes,as they are called in Kerala,I love a good Fruit Cake!

Saee's recipe is a very simple one.It is just like a regular butter cake with fruits and nuts soaked in rum incorporated into the batter and voila,it immediately gets transformed into a rich fruit cake,so very Christmas-ssy!
Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake
Recipe slightly adapted from Saee's My Jhola

Ingredients

For soaking

Dry Fruits - 1 cup,chopped(I used raisins,currants,figs,dates)
Nuts - 1/2 cup(I used cashews,almonds and walnuts)
Candied peel/Tutti Fruity - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder - a pinch
Dark Rum - 3/4 cup

For the cake

Flour - 100 gms
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - a pinch
Dry ginger powder - a pinch
Homemade garam masala - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Butter - 100 gms
Light brown sugar - 100 gms
Eggs - 2
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method

For soaking 
Christmas Fruit Cake-step1 
In a clean dry bowl,mix together the dry fruits,nuts,tutty fruity,cinnamon powder and dark rum using a wooden spoon.Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days.You can even do this days in advance,the more it soaks,the more flavor it brings to the cake.

For the cake  

Christmas Fruit Cake-step2 
Sift/stir together flour,baking powder,cinnamon powder,dry ginger powder,garam masala and salt.Reserve.
Christmas Fruit Cake-step3 
Beat together butter and sugar till fluffy.Mix in the eggs beating well after each addition.
Mix in the vanilla extract.
Christmas Fruit Cake-step4  
Pour the soaked fruits along with any juice into the creamed butter-sugar mix and stir well.
Mix in the sifted flour mix and beat together till you get a thickish batter.
Christmas Fruit Cake-step5 
Pour into a greased/lined 8' round tin and bake at a 180C preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove the cake from the tin and let it cool completely on a wire rack.Cover with a foil and rest the cake for a day or two before slicing.
Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Christmas Fruit Cake 
Notes
  • You can mix and match any fruits and nuts of your choice.I have soaked a batch with only glaze cherries and tutti fruity,it is all about what you like to have in your fruit cake.
  • I added less rum than mentioned and for the same reason,did not drain the soaked fruits before adding to the cake batter.
Are you done with your Christmas preparations yet?

18 comments :

  1. I know christmas isn't same without the cake that is why i make them too :-) IThe cake looks yumm i think i will opt for a lighter cake too next year. Christmas preparation done on nooooo it is not even half way have too much to do as i am hosting the christmas eve dinner in my place and have still shopping to do , thankgo we only give presents on new year otherwise i would be in trouble.

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  2. Wow loved the final click... Gives a beautiful snowy effffect... Awesome bake

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  3. Hi Divya,

    Cake looks yumm, Am just wondering why we should use a wooden spoon to stir the fruits. Is there any particular reason for that?

    Amulya

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    Replies
    1. Since we are using alcohol to soak the fruits,it helps if you use any non-acidic utensils.

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  4. Nice cake divya..looks perfect for d season

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  5. Yes you can say I am ready for Christmas...Cookies, cup cakes and cakes are in the pipeline.. I love this cake

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  6. Loved the last pic! Its brilliant! Would love to see a pic of the slice from the side...top view pics don't give any idea of the crumb, even distribution of nuts and the moist/dry texture.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!Unfortunately,the pictures of the slice have not come out well:(You can see the texture inside very slightly in the third picture.The fruits were distributed evenly too:)

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  7. looks awesome n irresistible :)

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  8. I had no idea fruit cakes were popular in Kerala! I confess I'm not a huge fruit cake fan but am seeing them all over the blogosphere this holiday season so I think it's time to give them another chance. Yours looks lovely :)

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  9. Am ready with a list of cakes and cookies too, thats really wonderful to see your fruit cake finally,nothing will replace this christmas fruit cake na.

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  10. is there any substitutes of rum

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  11. HEY I HAVE ADD RUM WITH THE DRY FRUITS , BUT DONT WANT TO USE EGG IS THER E ANY REPLACEMNT OF EGGGS ,, DO TELL

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    Replies
    1. Here's an eggless version I'd tried a while back - http://www.divyascookbook.com/2009/12/eggless-fruit-and-nut-cake.html

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Love,
Divya.

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