Christmas Cake | Plum Cake | Mixed Fruit Cake

Christmas Cake or Plum Cake is a seasonal cake. Christmas is incomplete without a Plum Cake. Soaking is the first and most important process. Traditionally, the dry fruits are soaked in the rum or brandy, which enhances the flavor of the cake. This makes the Christmas cake more special. Even now in many restaurants and bakery they follow this process.

We can also try this in our home. If you think it’s a bit hard to do and wanna avoid alcohol. Then we have alternative way to soak the dry fruits. Here is the best thing you can replace with alcohol, that’s nothing but Orange Juice or Grape Juice.

You must soak the dry fruits atleast overnight. I have soaked the dry fruits for a week in an Orange Juice and Red wine Lets see my version of the Christmas cake.

Ingredients

For Soaking

• Mixed dry fruits – 1 ½ cup

• Orange juice or Grape Juice – 150ml

• Red wine – 30ml

• Orange zest – 1tblsp

Dry Ingredients

• Maida – 1 ¼ cup

• Cinnamon Powder – ½ tsp

• Cloves Powder – 1/8 tsp 

• Nutmeg Powder – 1/8 tsp

• Dry Ginger Powder – 1/8 tsp

• Baking Powder – ¾ tsp

• Baking Soda – ½ tsp

• Ground Almond – ¾ cup

• Mixed nuts – ½ cup

• Salt – 1/8 tsp 

Sugar Caramel

• White Sugar – ¼ cup

• Water – ¼ cup

• Hot water ¼ cup

Wet Ingredients

• Softened Butter – ½ cup

• Brown Sugar – ¾ Cup

• Eggs – 2

Recipe

Soaking

• Take mixed fruits in a bowl, add orange zest, grape juice and red wine.

• Mix all together. Soak them atleast for a night. 

• In traditional method soaking is done over a month

Sugar Caramel

• Take the white sugar and add the water.

• Cook them until the sugar turns into dark brown in color, literally black color.

• At the time add the hot water to the caramel. So that we can avoid the sugar crystals. Stir for  few secs.

• Now the caramel syrup is ready. 

Cake Batter mixing

• Strain the soaked dry fruits and coat the dry fruits with the 2 tbsp. of Maida and keep aside.

• Take all the dry ingredients( maida, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, ginger powder, clove powder) sieve all together.

• Add the almond powder to the sieved dry ingredients. Keep aside.

• Now take a mixing bowl, add the softened butter and add the brown sugar. Beat them to make a creamy texture

• Then add the eggs one by one. Blend them using a electric blender or hank whisk.

• Now add the dry ingredients in batches, told the batter using the spatula. Simultaneously add the drained fruit juice and sugar syrup.

• Once the batter is ready add the maida coated soaked dry fruits and chopped nuts. Mix them using spatula.

• Transfer the batter to the cake mold. Before transferring the batter use the parchment paper for lining the mold. 

• Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 180°C for 45mins.

• Check the cake using the toothpick or bamboo skewer.

• Baking time may vary and depends on the oven.

• When the cake is done. Let it cool naturally and then demold the cake.

• Now the delicious yummy Christmas Cake is ready 

Note

Cake tastes better when you soak them for long time.