Christmas / Xmas Fruit Cake/ Kerala Plum Cake

Ingredients

• 3 cups Mixed fruits
• 1.5 cups Rum / Brandy (I used dark rum)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1/4 cup Warm water
• 2 cups Plain flour
• 1 1/4 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp Sugar
• 250 gms Unsalted Butter (1 cup + 2 tbsp, approx @ room temp)
• 4 Eggs (@ room temp)
• 2 tsp Vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp Jam (I used apricot)
• 2 Cloves
• 2 Cardamom
• A small piece Cinnamon
• A small piece Nutmeg

Instructions

1. 1

   Soaking of Fruits

2. 2

   I used a combination of sultanas, seedless raisins,currants & candied orange & lemon peel. I didn't chop the fruits & used it as such. You can use dried fruits of your choice. If you are using dates/apricots etc; chop it into small pieces & soak it. I soaked it for almost 1.5 months. Try to soak it for a minimum of 1 week, at least. Shake the jar of soaked fruits once in a while.

3. 3

   Caramel Preparation:

4. 4

   Combine 1/2 cup sugar & 1 tbsp water in a sauce pan. Heat it & let the sugar melt. When the color of the melted sugar becomes dark brown, remove the pan from fire & add 1/4 cup warm water to this. You need to be very careful at this stage since the water tends to splash & can cause burns. Bring it back to the heat & boil for a few more mins, 3-4 mins. Remove from fire & let it cool completely. You can prepare the caramel in advance & refrigerate it. Check out the caramel picture at Annita's place, if you want to get an idea about the colour.

5. 5

   Spice Powder:

6. 6

   Grind all the spices with a pinch of sugar, to a fine powder & keep aside.

7. 7

   Cake Preparation:

8. 8

   Preheat the oven @ 180 C for 10-15 mins, before baking.

9. 9

   Drain the soaked fruits & keep aside. Retain 4 tbsp from the drained liquor. Toss the drained fruits in 1-2 tbsp of flour. (This will prevent the fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Sift the plain flour with baking powder & baking soda. Powder the sugar & keep aside. Separate the yolks & white of the eggs. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Keep aside. Beat the egg yolks & add the softened butter to it. Beat it till it forms a smooth paste. Add powdered sugar to this, gradually. Beat after each addition. When it becomes smooth add vanilla essence & cooled caramel & spice powder & beat again. Add the sifted flour in 2 batches. Beat after each addition. Add jam & combine.

10. 10

    Fold in the beaten egg whites in 2 parts & combine till no white streaks are visible. Fold in the soaked fruits & 4 tbsp of retained liquor. Grease the baking dish (refer notes) & line with baking paper. Pour the batter into the prepared tins. Bake in the pre heated oven for 40-45 mins or until the skewer inserted comes out clean. The baking time can vary depending on the oven & also the size of the tin used.

11. 11

    Alcohol free version:

12. 12

    Soak 3 cups of fruits in 1.5 cups of fresh orange juice. Leave it overnight @ room temp. The rest of the recipe is same.