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Christmas Fruit Cake....and that's what makes it Christmas!!!!




♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ 

 Come December, and that's the song that goes on in my mind. 
Probably the most celebrated holiday in the world, our modern Christmas is a product of hundreds of years of both secular and religious traditions from around the globe. 

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is generally celebrated on December 25th by most of the nations. Christmas celebration starts almost a month before. It includes decorating the houses with colorful lights, stars, etc., decorating Christmas trees and making a small manger. People sing carols rejoicing in the birth of Jesus. They are also busy making goodies to share with friends. Christmas is also called the 'season of giving' and people love to exchange gifts with loved ones and give gifts to the poor. Finally the actual Christmas day is celebrated by wearing new clothes and going to church, bursting fireworks and having a great feast with family.

I love everything about this season. In Bangalore, the weather gets more chillier and the temperatures comes down. We bring out the woollens and blankets. We bring out our Christmas tree..... and we start decorating it with stars, bells and colourful balls. We decorate our house with colourful streamers and lights. We also hang a  bright big star outside our home. 

 Apart from decorating our house, it's also the time when delicious goodies are made at homes. Food is one important part of Christmas celebration. A very common cake served all around the world is Fruit Cake....commonly referred as the plum cake, here in India. We soak the nuts and dry fruits for making this almost a month before. I usually prepare the Dark Caramel Fruit Cake.

 Here's my recipe:

Ingredients

For Soaking:
Mixed fruits - 2 cups
Rum/Brandy - 1 cup (I used dark rum)

For Caramel:
Sugar - ½ cup
Water - 1 tbsp
Warm water - ¼ cup

For Cake:
Flour - 2 cups
Baking powder - 1¼ tsp
Baking soda - ½ tsp
Sugar - 1 cup+ 2 tbsp
Unsalted Butter - 250 gms (1 cup + 2 tbsp, approx) @ room temp
Eggs - 4 @ room temp
Vanilla essence - 2 tsp

For Spice Powder:
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - a small piece
Nutmeg - a small piece
Pinch of sugar

Method:

 Soaking of Fruits:
I used a combination of sultanas, seedless raisins, currants, chopped cashews & tutti frutti. 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.  (For alcohol free version: 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.)

Caramel Preparation:
Combine ½ 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 ¼ 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.

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

Cake Preparation:
Preheat the oven @ 180°C for 10-15 mins, before baking.
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.
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 & 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. 
Do try this recipe and share with those you love.

Wish you all a holly jolly Christmas this year.

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