Christmas Fruit cake

It's Christmas...a time to be happy, to love, to give and to end a beautiful year.So here' s the recipe for a rich dark fruit cake with a hint of alcohol flavour.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you all.

Ingredients

Caramel syrup

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup warm water

Cake

• 2 cups All purpose flour
• 2 cups soaked dry fruits(raisins ,tutty fruity, candied ginger, cherries soaked in 1/2 cup of grape or orange juice plus 4 to5 tbsp rum and zest of one orange grated)
• 1/2 cup broken cashew nuts
• 200 gms butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt 
• rum (optional)

Spice Mix

• 2 cloves
• 3 pods cardamom
• a small piece cinnamon
• small piece nutmeg
• 1 tbsp sugar

Dry roast the spices in a pan or microwave .Mix this with 1 tbsp sugar and blend  to a very fine powder.

In a heavy bottom pan add 1/2 cup sugar plus 1 tbsp water . Boil this for 3-4 minutes. As the colour starts to change and the sugar becomes dark brown colour add warm water to this and switch off the flame. This step should be carefully done .Don't stand near to the pan since the caramel is very hot it will splutter while adding water so stand back and add water. The caramel syrup is ready and let it cool. For the cake, beat together butter ,eggs and sugar until it becomes soft and fluffy. To this wet mixture add flour ,baking  powder and salt .Pour the caramel syrup and gently fold adding dry fruits and nuts . Finally add the spice mix and fold well. Transfer this to a dusted cake pan and bake for 1 hour at 180 c .If the top of the cake is getting done fast just cover it with a foil paper after half an hour and bake .Once the cake is done pour 3-4 tbsp rum on top of the cake while it's piping hot. Cover the cake store in an air tight container.

Do Note

• The caramel syrup should be  dark brown (molasses colour) in order to get a rich coloured cake.
• The fruits should atleast be soaked overnight .The more it gets soaked in juice and rum  the more will be flavor.
• Instead of rum sweet red wine can also be used.
• To get an intensely rich alcohol flavored cake ,brush everyday with 2 tbsp rum for 2-3 days .Cover in cling wrap or foil and let it rest for a week. This cake taste better as it ages.
• For non alcoholic version of this recipe soak the fruits in orange juice or red grape juice.
• If u don't get time to soak fruits just boil the dry fruits in 1.5 cup juice of orange or grape .Then the fruits will become plump and soft.