Christmas is incomplete without..

a Fruit Cake,of course.I've had an overload of Fruit cakes here last week and I was worried if you guys saw another title for Christmas Fruit Cake,you wouldn't read it after all!

Like they say,I saved the best for the last.Last 3 years,I've been baking this cake and every time I bake it,I think I shouldn't restrict baking this during Christmas,but some recipes are special and should be recreated only when the occasion demands.

I am reposting the recipe here along with the step by step procedures.Hope you enjoyed the Christmas specials and are planning a big spread for your Christmas meal.

                                           (image source)

Christmas Fruit and Nut Cake

Ingredients

Flour – 2 cups

Baking Powder – ½ tsp

Dry Fruits – 1 cup (figs, apricots, dates, raisins, currants and sultanas), chopped

Candied Peel – ¼ cup

Tutti Fruity – ¼ cup

Mixed Nuts – ½ cup(Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds), chopped

Dark Rum – 1 cup (optional - you could use 2 tbsp Lime Juice to soak the dry fruits)

Light Brown Sugar – 1 ¼ cup

Eggs - 4

Oil – ¾ cup[I used 175 gms butter]

Cloves - 3

Cinnamon Powder – 1 tsp

 
For the Caramel

Sugar – ½ cup

Boiling Hot Water – ¾ cup

Method

 
Soak the dry fruits, candied peel and tutti fruiti along with the cinnamon powder and cloves in 2/3 cup rum for anywhere between 24 hours and 1 year. (I soaked them for 3 days.) Do remember to remove the cloves before using the fruits.

 
When you are ready to bake the cake, start by making the caramel. In a heavy bottomed pan, place the ½ cup of sugar and heat slowly. The sugar will begin to melt. Stir this mixture with a spoon slowly as the caramel forms. When all the sugar crystals have melted, slowly add the boiling water and stir to form a smooth mixture. Cool this completely.

 
Sift the flour along with the baking powder. 

 
In a mixing bowl, add the oil/butter, eggs and brown sugar and beat well. 

 
To this, add the flour mixture, the fruits and the nuts by turns. Whisk well and then add the cooled caramel.[I added the caramel along with the fruits and nuts]

 
Grease and line two 8 inch baking tins(I halved the recipe and used a 6 cup bundt tin for this cake) and divide the batter between the two. 
Bake at 190 C/375 F for about 50 minutes.

When baked, make small slits in each cake and pour the remaining rum over them. While this cake is delicious straight out of the oven, try storing it for a week before consuming it. (To do this, wrap the cake in foil and then cover it with cling film.) This cake ages beautifully.

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