Christmas Fruit cake / Plum Cake

Baking in two batches:

• Medium Tray 30cm

• Two Loaf tins

 

Ingredients

First batch for Soaking:

500g Black Raisins (300+200)

500g Golden Raisins (yellow) (300+200)

200g Dry Apricot chopped (120+80)

150g Stoned Prunes chopped (90+60)

100g Ginger candies chopped (60+40)

200g Red Cherry halves (120+80)

100gm Orange peel chopped (60+40)

1 cup Rum / brandy (I used Old monk) (¾ + ¼)

1 Orange (zest and juice) (¾ + ¼)

1 Lemon (zest and Juice) (¾ + ¼)

Second batch (to add a day before baking or min before 3 hrs.)

150g Green Cherry halves (90+60)

100g Golden Chery halves (60+40)

200g Almond sleeves (120+80)

200g Broken Cashew nuts (120+80)

Spice Mix to grind: (¾ + ¼)

1 Tablespoon Cloves

3” inch Cinnamon stick

2 Piece mace

¾ Nutmeg

1 whole star anise

Other Ingredients:

600g Softened unsalted butter (360 + 240)

600g Dark soft brown sugar (360+240)

5 cup Plain flour (3+2)

2 cup self-rising flour (1 ¼ + ¾)

(Or 7 cups plain flour with 1 ½ tsp Baking powder)

1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (1+ ½)

3 pinch salt

8 Large eggs (5+3)

3 tbsp. Black treacle / Golden syrup / Molasses (2+1)

Extra rum / brandy to feed the cake after baking.

*** You can even do a one day soak.

***If you don’t like you cake with alcohol you could do a one day soak in orange juice instead.

***If you like dark brown colour for your cake use caramelized sugar instead of molasses.

**** If you want to use only plain flour then add 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder (1+½).

**** While baking keep a water tray in the bottom rack, this will give you a nice moist cake.

Pre- preparation

(Soaking and prep)

1. Chop the prunes, orange peel, candy ginger and apricot to the same size of raisins.

2. Take a large airtight container and add all the ingredients listed under – First batch for soaking.

3. Soak the dry fruits for 1 days or up to 1 year if you have time. I did 8 days soak.

4. Add the second batch to the first mixture just one day before baking.

5. Grease and line the tray( one med tray and 2 loaf tins)

6. On the sides let the wax paper wall be a bit higher than the tray. This prevents the cake from browning the top fast.

7. Loaf tins no need for side lining ( this will be baked separately) just grease the tin and line the bottom of the tin , sprinkle flour on the side walls.

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 150°C

2. Sift together the flour, spice mix and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.

3. Take a large bowl and cream the softened butter and sugar until fluffy.

4. Beat eggs in a bowl with little salt.

5. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture, beating every time you add (one egg at a time). Add a tablespoon of flour to avoid curdling every time you add egg to the mixture.

6. Add Molasses and vanilla extract to the mixture and combine.

7. Add the sieved flour one cup at a time and mix well.

8. Now add the soaked dry fruit mixture and fold in.

9. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, mix in fruits until completely mixed.

10. Pour the cake mixture into the greased and lined tray.

11. Shake it well and drop it from 1 inch height on a tabletop to settle and this will fill any air pockets.

12. Add a water tray in the bottom shelf of the oven.

13. Reduce the heat to 120°C

14. Put the cake tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour 20 mins.

15. Now increase the heat to 140°C and cook for another 30 min.

16. Do the skewer test, if not cooked try cooking for further 10 more minutes and test again

17. Test till the skewer comes out slightly moist. Don’t dry the cake.

18. The cake will further cook once it is out of the oven during the cooling process. So don’t worry.

19. Remove cake from oven and cool for 24 hrs.

20. After its cool make 4-5 holes on top with a skewer and feed it some rum (about 4 tablespoon for a large tray and 2 for a loaf size cake).

21. Now wrap the cake in cling film first and then wrap it with foil. If you wrap the cake in foil first the alcohol will react with the foil.

22. Store the cake in an airtight box until you are ready to decorate or consume.

23. If you still have time, feed the cake with rum once again (do it every 8 days)

24. Stop feeding the cake with rum atleast 8 days before serving. So it has time to settle and all the fruit can fully take in all the extra rum.

Enjoy the festivity.