Christmas Fruitcake

Christmas is fast approaching. I never miss a Christmas without making this for my loved ones and friends. This is my special gift for them every year straight from my very own kitchen.

What's good about making your own fruitcake is that it is not oozing with rum and you can put just how much you want in it.

This recipe has just enough rum and brandy in it for me. You can add more to it or less as you prefer.

Ingredients:

½         cup raisins
½         cup mixed dried fruits
½         cup nuts (cut into small pieces) or cherries
½         cup brandy and/or rum

3          cups sugar (set aside 1 cup for caramelizing the sugar)
½         cup warm water
2          cups all purpose flour
2          tsp. baking powder
6          eggs
2          tsp. vanilla essence
3          tsp. powdered spices (a combination of at least 2 or 3 of these: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves or cardamom)

250     grams butter (softened)
pinch of salt

Directions:

1.      Chop the first four ingredients into small pieces. Soak them in brandy or rum or a combination of both and keep in a plastic container. Some people soak them for a week or two, but for me overnight is enough if you prefer a milder taste for your fruitcake.

2.      Caramelize the 1 cup of sugar that was set aside.
Put it in a medium sauce pan with 1 tbsp. of water. Stir continuously and use only medium heat. Do not stir. The sugar will melt first and then gradually becomes molten syrup. After taking it off the stove, wait at least 5 minutes before slowly adding 1/2 cup of warm water and stir immediately before it crystallizes back. Be careful when pouring the water into the syrup to avoid splashing which can cause 
     severe burns. Stir well to dissolve completely and then let it cool.

3.      Preheat your oven to 350⁰F or 180⁰C. You can use any size of baking pan or dish according to your preference, but for this recipe measurement you can use a 12x8 baking dish or 3 bread pans. Line your baking pan with parchment paper or brush it with butter to avoid sticking of the cake to your pan or dish.

4.      Sift all the dry ingredients together in one container. Add half of the soaked fruits into it and mix well. Set aside.

5.      Beat the butter and powdered sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, do not overbeat as this will make the cake harder.

6.      Fold in half the flour mixture and half of the caramel that was prepared earlier. Mix well with a spatula or a spoon. Add the remaining half of both, making sure there are no more lumps.

7.      Finally, add the vanilla essence and 1 tsp. of brandy drained from the soaked fruits and mix.

8.      Pour the batter into your baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. 

9.      Take the cake out of the oven and add the remaining half of the soaked fruits on top of it drop by drop. Avoid a long delay in doing this to prevent the temperature of the cake to cool down. This is to make sure that the fruits and nuts are spread evenly on the whole cake because most of the fruits will sink to the bottom if we add them all at once.

10. Put the cake back in the oven and bake for another 30-35 minutes.

11. Prick the cake in the middle using a skewer and if it comes out clean, then your fruitcake is done.

12. Take the cake out of the oven and brush with brandy from the drained fruits.

Tips:

·        If the fruitcake will not be consumed immediately, brush all the surfaces of the left over cake with fresh brandy, wrap it in a cheesecloth and keep in an air tight container like in an emptied can of powdered milk.

·        If you are in a hurry, you can just use plain sugar in place of the caramelized one. KThis will save you time; but caramelizing it the way I do will enhance the flavor of your cake.