Christmas cake(dry fruits soaked in rum)

This is a christmas cake made using rum!

Assorted dry fruits and mixed peel are soaked in rum or brandy for a day.
The baked cake is then brushed with rum twice or thrice for 2 weeks!
christmas cakes are usually made two to three weeks in advance,with or without alcohol as it allows the assorted fruits and nuts to enhance the flavour of the cake.

Recipe from joyofbaking.com

Ingredients:
All purpose flour-2 cups,
Finely ground almond-3/4 cup or 75 gms,
Eggs-3,
Baking powder-1 tsp,
Mixed dried fruit-1 kilo-( prunes or figs or apricot,currants, small and big raisins,candied fruits,mixed peel,dried or glazed cherries,50 gms of chopped almonds and 50 gms of chopped walnuts- you can use any dry fruit of your liking- .

Juice of 1 orange or 1/3 cup,
Zest of 1 lemon,
Brown sugar-1 cup(powdered)
Rum or brandy-1 cup for soaking and 3 tbsp for brushing the cake after it is baked.

Note:  Christmas cake is made 2 to 3 weeks before christmas.
The longer it ages the flavour of the fruits penetrates the cake.

This can can be made without using rum or brandy.
Soaking will not be required then,just add 2 to 3 tbsp of flour from the recipe to avoid the fruits from sinking at bottom of the pan while baking.

Method:
Chop or slice if using prunes,apricot or figs in bite size pieces.
Soak the mixed dry fruits and chopped walnuts and almonds in 1 cup of rum or brandy in a bowl.

Cover with cling film and leave it for a day.

Soak 75 gms of almonds a day before.
Peel the skin and leave it to dry on a tissue paper overnight.
Grind into a powder form.


Pre heat oven to 160 C
Grease a 8 inch round springform pan.
Line the bottom with butter paper and brush with butter.
Cut out a long strip of butter paper for the side with 2 inch above the rim of the pan.

Butter the side strip too.

Whisk flour and baking powder in a bowl.

Toss the soaked mixed fruit with a spatula.

Mix 3 tbsp of flour to the soaked mixed fruit.

Beat butter with an electric beater till soft and creamy.

Add brown sugar and beat until light for a minute.

Add one egg at a time and beat for few minutes.

Scrape down the sides.

Add orange juice and lemon zest.

Add the mixed fruit in batches and beat just till they are mixed.

Mix almond powder and flour with wire whisk.

Fold in the flour almond mix with a spatula till they are evenly mixed.

It is a thick batter.

Evenly spread the batter in the springform pan

.

Place the pan in a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour in 160 C,
then reduce the oven temperature to 150 C and bake for another 80 to 90 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in it will come out with moist crumbs.
Since the baking time is more then 2 hour and every oven has different heating,so start checking after 2 hours and 15 minutes.

2 inch butter paper over the rim of the pan protects the cake from over browning.
Place the cake pan on wire rack to cool.

Loosen the clip from the side and remove the side butter paper.

While the cake is still warm,brush the top and side with 1 tbsp of rum if using.


Let it cool completely.
Remove the butter paper from the bottom.

Once the cake is completely cool,wrap the cake with butter paper and then double wrap with foil.

Finally wrap with cling film and put in the fridge.
Brush twice to 2 to 3 weeks with 1 tbsp of rum. 

Keep wrapped in the fridge until christmas.
Leave it at room temperature the day to serve.
Leftover cake can be kept wrapped in a container at room temperature.
Makes for -16 people!