In my personal opinion, I think a well made Christmas Cake is worth every effort put into making it. From what i’ve read, in the West the preparation of a cake mix usually begins a year in advance. In many parts of Europe people gift each other their cake mixes as part of the Christmas tradition and all that’s left to do for the person who receives such a gorgeous gift is to just add flour, eggs & butter & bake it! Mmmmmm..I should ask my friends to start this tradition cuz I really feel that the Christmas Cake recipe is the mother of all recipes (with so much time & effort that goes into it). It is also for this reason that maybe the cake keeps (in an airtight box) for almost 6 months to 1 year after it has been baked. This is typically so because of all that rum or brandy that is used to soak up the fruits & later feed the cake that helps preserve it.
I have been hunting for the right cake recipe for ages. I personally believe that since ’tis the season to be jolly, any cake made with loads of love is a yummy cake after all. However, I will not stop improvising on this cake (like i’ve done for the past few years). This cake didnt turn out as dark as preferred but it was quite delicious & moist inside (never mind the adventure & near death experience behind it..lol!)
Now…get set…go! And tell me how it turned out!
Rich Fruit Cake
A moist fruit cake made with dried fruit, mixed spice, orange zest and more – a perfect treat for the festive season
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Ingredients
Fruits to be soaked:
- 50 grams Sultanas (dried seedless white grapes a little more plum & golden than regular raisins)
- 50 grams Raisins dried white grapes
- 50 grams Currants dried black seedless grapes
- 50 grams Figs r roughly chopped
- 50 grams Apricots roughly chopped
- 50 grams Prunes pitted and roughly chopped
- 100 ml brandy or rum
- Soak the above dry fruits & keep covered. You can keep overnight or over several days if preferred in an airtight jar, stirring once a day
For the mixed spice
- 1 tsp Coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp All Spice
- 1/2 tsp Dry Ginger
- 1/4 tsp Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Green Cardamom seeds
For the Cake
- 225 grams Flour
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 225 grams muscovado sugar (or any dark or light soft brown variety)
- 225 grams Unsalted Butter
- 4 Eggs
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tbsp Rind of orange – finely chopped
- 50 grams Walnuts or almonds roughly chopped
Instructions
- – Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt & mixed spice. Keep aside
- – Roll the nuts in some flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake
- – Grease a 8″ pan with butter & dust it with flour evenly across the bottom & the sides of the pan OR line the baking dish with parchment paper
- – Set aside 1 cup of the sugar for caramelising and toss the remaining into a large bowl and add the butter (at room temperature)
- – Beat butter & sugar till fluffy for about 3-4 minutes (till the mixture looks a bit pale)
- – Add 1 egg at a time, mixing it well & beating it along with the butter & sugar. Beat for a minute & repeat with the next egg till all eggs have been blended well. If the mixture appears like its curdling sprinkle some flour
- – Add the flour & orange juice alternately ensuring that everything is well mixed
- – Take a thick bottomed pan & add the sugar set aside for caramelising and stir on low flame till it becomes a blackish syrup syrup. Add 1/2 cup of hot water but be careful as the syrup & hot water combo may splutter
- – Add the caramelised syrup to the batter
- – Stir in the soaked dry fruits and the nuts and the rind
- – Fold well. Test the consistency of the batter by dropping a little from the spatula from a height. If its too dry, it wont budge! If its too watery, it will be all sloppy. You just need the right consistency. So you can add either a little flour (about 1 tbsp) or some warm milk (abt 2tbsps) as the case may be
- – Preheat oven to 140 degree celcius for about 5-6 mins
- – Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and place on the centre rack of the oven
- – Bake for 55-60 minutes and check if the cake is done (skewer/knife comes out clean)
- – When the cake is done, remove & cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container
- – You can use the brandy that was used to soak the fruits to also feed the cake. This is to ensure that the cake remains moist & increase its longevity. Poke a few holes on the surface of the cake with a toothpick or skewer and pour a few drops of the brandy or rum once a week.
Disclaimer
The nutritional values are only indicative.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment & rate the recipe below or share a photo on Instagram and tag me @ruchikrandhap
Sigh ! If at all I succeeded in baking !
Any suggestions to remove the egg smell from the cake..
can you tell me what is all spice and mixed spice.
@ Mira: All spice is a kind of spice that has an aroma of all the spices (cinnamon, cloves etc) put together. It is popularly grown in Coastal Karnataka and Kerala. It looks almost like peppercorns. Mixed spice on the other hand is a powder/blend similar to garam masala…but it doesn't contain spicy elements like red chillies or peppers like the garam masala powder. Mixed spice is used in Christmas cakes and usually contains a mix of coriander seeds, dried ginger, all spice, nutmeg, cloves, mace & cinnamon powders
WOW!!!! Baking this was a completely wonderful experience and it was really simple with such easy and clear step-by-step instructions. Thanks a ton… since I’ve lost my grandma’s recipe for it. And this is so close… it’s in the oven at the moment and it smells wonderfully Christmasy!!! A merry Christmas to you!
Hi Janice,
Thanks a lot for the great feedback! I am so happy to know that you liked this recipe! Do let me know how it tasted after you cut it!
For a half kg cake wat r the measurements I can take ma’am
Sorry I have not made such a small cake. I guess you’ll have to scale down the ingredients