Fruit Cake or Christmas Cake or Plum cake

This recipe was given to me by neighbor aunty. I have made this cake several times. I love making this with alcohol as the tastes  so different.    In order for you to keep the cake for long time, aunty had told me that once we bake the cake. When its cooled  to  moist the cake with  diluted rum with water or inject using a syringe.

Although this cake was soft and moist,  smelled and tasted gr8. I did one blunder here that I removed the caramel a bit early to what I do hence the colour of the cake did not turn to the normal texture I get.  I had to make 2 big cakes and one small one hence the quantity was a bit big to handle.

Happy baking.

Ingredients

All purpose flour  - 200gms
Dry fruits – 200gms (cashew, dates, sultanas, raisins, tutti fruity)
Eggs  -  200 gms
Butter – 200gms
Sugar – 200gms
Rum – ½ cup (I have not added for my cake instead I have added orange juice)
Mixed spice powder – 1 tsp (you can add cloves, cinnamon, ginger,  nutmeg)
Lime juice  - 1 no.
Orange  and lime zest – 1 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp

For Caramel Syrup

100gms Sugar
Water – ¾  cup

In a  pan, add the sugar and  ½  cup water and heat in medium flame until the sugar turns brown and gets caramelized (like dark brown, this is what gives the texture for the cake)  add immediately ¼ cup of boiling water and swirl the pan so that the sugar caramel gets mixed well and now keep this aside.

Sieve the flour with spice powders and baking powder  and keep aside.

I normally soak the dry fruits in rum for few days and then remove the  fruits out and add 2 tbsp APF and well coat the  dry fruits. Since I made this with orange juice I just kept the dry fruits for 1 hr in orange juice and then coated the APF on the dry fruits before adding to the cake.  Retain the rum/juice, you can add to the cake batter and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Grease well a baking pan or tin  greased with butter or butter paper

Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until they turns creamy, add one egg yolk at a time and blend well. Add the vanilla extract and beat well, gradually add the flour little by little and blend well.

Add the caramelized sugar syrup to the mixing bowl and blend, now add the zests and mix well, finally add the fruit and nut mixture to the mixing bowl and gently mix it with a spoon.

Now  beat the egg whites in an another bowl  until they turns fluffy and a soft peaks form. Fold gently  the egg whites to the cake batter.

Pour this cake batter to the greased baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Dust with some icing sugar if you like.


Latha



Sending this to:

http://cooklikepriya.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/60-days-to-christmas-event-giveaway.html
http://arusuvai-kurippu.blogspot.in/2012/11/event-announcement-show-me-your-hits.html
http://cookbookjaleela.blogspot.in/2012/11/my-own-event-bachelors-feast.html
http://madscientistskitchen.blogspot.in/2012/12/guest-hosting-know-your-floursall.html
http://sumeesculinary.blogspot.in/2012/11/bon-vivant-10-continuing-festive-feasts.html
http://foodomania.com/christmas-cook-off-contest/
http://cookcookandcook.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/merry-christmas-celebrations-event-announcement/
http://deepthidigvijay.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-food-fair-event.html
http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2012/11/bake-fest-14-event-announcement.html