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    Recipes » Festive Recipes » Christmas Recipes

    How to make Rum soaked Dry Fruits for Christmas cake!

    December 22, 2014 By Debjani 9 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake, is a mandatory process to follow to make a perfect rich fruit cake. Christmas is special and so the typical traditional Christmas cake is! To bake a proper Christmas cake one thing is a must which is nothing but properly seasoned Rum Soaked Fruits and Nuts! You may ask why I at all need a separate post for Rum-soaked (and also other alcohol) Dry Fruits for Christmas cake! Believe me or not, this is extremely important if you wish to make the perfect rich fruit cake for Christmas. This mixture is the heart of the Typical Indian Christmas cake is a bit different than the Western version of the same.

    Jump to:
    • Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas Cake
    • Cake Mixing Tricks
    • FAQ about Soaking Dry Fruits in alcohol
    • Preserving the dry fruit mixture for years
    • 2021 Dry fruit soaking in alcohol note
    • 2014 Dry fruit mixing note
    • All you need to make the perfect rum-soaked fruits for Christmas cake
    • Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas Cake- detailed Recipe
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Video- soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake
    • Have you tried the cake-mixing recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!
    • Here are the soaking dry fruits for plum cake Recipe Pins for your Pinterest Board!

    Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas Cake

    Ideally, you should do the cake-mixing process for at least one month before making the cake. The more time you give to the soaking dry fruits for the Christmas cake process, the chances are higher to getting the perfect plum cake. This year I have soaked my fruits for around 2 months and added some of the fruits later on based on the availability. I have started with almonds, Raisins, Dates, Cashew Nut, Cherries, and also Cranberries, Tutti Frutti, Candied ginger, and candied orange as well.

    %rum soaked fruits

    Cake Mixing Tricks

    More soaking fruits and also the nuts in alcohol, the more flavourful will be the cake; this is the mantra for making rich fruit cake. One of my friend's granny told me this once. They are from Kerala and that old lady makes amazing cakes. She makes amazing cakes. I learned the process of soaking fruits from her. This may look easy and actually, it is easy but those Rum-soaked fruits and nuts are the heart of Christmas cake.

    %Cake mixing process for Christmas cake

    FAQ about Soaking Dry Fruits in alcohol

    Should it only be rum to soak the dry fruits for Rich Fruit Cake?

    Absolutely no. However, if you consider the Kolkata version of the cake, Dark Rum is a must. Along with that, we use whisky, bourbon, port wine, and/ or brandy. Use whatever dark alcohol you prefer. I suggest using Rum/ Brandy as the main alcohol and others as secondary.

    Should there be a fixed list of Dry Fruits to make the dry fruit mixture for Plum cake?

    Again no! However, a mixture of nuts, raisins/ current. berries and peels are needed to make the dry fruit mixture. If you are allergic to any item, just skip that. I prefer to use a mixture of Cashew nuts, Almonds, Raisins, and/ or Current, Cranberries, Cherries, Candied Ginger, Candied orange, Date, and also Tutti Frutti. I add nuts even after making the mixture whenever I have those available.
    %dry fruits soaking for Christmas cake recipe debjanir rannaghar

    What should be the proportion of Alcohol and Dry fruits in the mixture?

    I have seen 750g of a mixture of nuts need around 900ml alcohol to soak those. After a few days, the nuts soak the entire alcohol. I add more after that.
    %soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake recipe debjanir rannaghar

    What if I have a leftover mixture after making the Rich Fruit cakes?

    You can preserve the mixture for years by adding little alcohol every 2-3 months. I have separate jars of 2014 available with me. You will get a dense plum cake if you use the older mixture.
    In addition, you can make other desserts such as pudding, trifle, and even cocktails using this mixture.

    What if I need the cake non-alcoholic?

    That calls for another recipe! Simple! You can soak fruits in orange juice to make a mixture of non-alcoholic cake however, you cannot preserve that mixture for long.

    Preserving the dry fruit mixture for years

    To make a perfect Christmas cake ( traditional plum cake or Fruitcake with alcohol); you need to soak the dry fruits in alcohol at least for one month before making the cake. This is one of my favorite yearly rituals and I do this cake mixing at home every year. I am doing this at my place since 2011 and I have the mixture available from 2014.

    %soaking dry fruits for Christmas plum cake recipe debjanir rannaghar

    Every year I use different variations to make the mixture.

    2021 Dry fruit soaking in alcohol note

    This year I finally made the recipe video for dry fruit soaking. The mixture this year contains cashew nuts, raisins, cranberry, almond, date, tutti frutti, candied peel, and also candied ginger. In terms of Alcohol, I used Old Monk dark Rum, Chivas Regal Whisky, Jim Beam Bourbon, and also Sula Port wine. I used the same types in 2020 as well.

    Here's the video in case you wish to check the steps more minutely.

    2016 cake mixing note

    There indeed is no harm in updating an old work and as I have prepared it this year as well and clicked a few pictures as well, I decided to update the post with the new pictures which I found better looking than the older ones. Apart from that, I have changed the liquor types a bit and that is updated in the recipe. I have added Brandy and Whiskey also along with the Rum to the mixture this year.

    %rum soaked fruits
    2016 Click

    2014 Dry fruit mixing note

    The mixture was quite simple in 2014. I used only Old Monk rum and a little brandy to soak the dry fruits. In terms of dry fruits, I used Cashew nuts, current, raisins, and also almonds. It was the same in 2015 as well.

    Soaking Fruits and Nuts in Rum for Cake
    2014 click
    Rum Soaked Fruits and Nuts for Christmas Cake
    2015 click

    All you need to make the perfect rum-soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    Apart from Rum-soaked Fruits & Nuts for Christmas cake, I love to prepare Candied Orange Peels and Candied Ginger and also tutti Frutti for making my Christmas cake. Below are the links for reference:

    • Candied Orange Peels
    • Candied Ginger
    • Tutti Frutti!
    • Christmas Cake

    Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas Cake- detailed Recipe

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    Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas cake!

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    Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas cake is a cherished ritual. I am sharing the recipe for 700g dry fruits. You can reduce the dry fruits and alcohol proportionately.

    • Author: Debjani Chatterjee Alam
    • Prep Time: 30 mins
    • Cook Time: 15min
    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 1.5 kg 1x
    • Category: Spice
    • Method: mixing
    • Cuisine: Indian

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Dry Fruits

    • 75g Cashewnut
    • 75g Raisin
    • 75g Almond
    • 100g Tutti Fruiti
    • 50g Candied Ginger
    • 25g Candied Orange
    • 100g Cherry (local; soaked in sugar)
    • 100g dried Cranberries or Prune (I used cranberries)
    • 100g Date (normal or dry)

    Alcohol

    • 500ml Dark Rum
    • 90ml Whisky
    • 90ml Bourbon
    • 120ml Port Wine

    Instructions

    %dry fruits soaking for Christmas cake recipe debjanir rannaghar

    1. Chop all the fruits roughly into medium-sized pieces.
    2. Take a Sterilized Glass jar and fill it with the chopped dry fruits
    3. Add Orange-Lemon Peel, Candied Ginger Peel to the fruit mixture.
    4. Pour the Rum, Whiskey, Bourbon, Port wine, or whatever alcohol you are using over the Fruit mixture.
    5. I use rum as the main alcohol and others as secondary.
    6. You can replace Whiskey and Brandy with the same amount of Rum.
    7. Mix it well and cover the jar properly and then place it in a dark place.
    8. Shake the jar every 2-3 days.
    9. After one month of soaking add spice mix and brown sugar to the mixture. (This is a mandatory step)
    10. You can store this mixture in a dry place for more than a year.

    Notes

    This mixture can be stored for about a year and older the mixture tastier the cake! Try to make it at least before one month of preparing the cake for a richer taste....If you are as lethargic as me( not this year!) then can soak your fruits before one day at least.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 275g
    • Calories: 555
    • Sugar: 23.8g
    • Sodium: 6mg
    • Fat: 12.8g
    • Saturated Fat: 1.7g
    • Carbohydrates: 38.2g
    • Fiber: 4.8g
    • Protein: 6.1g
    • Cholesterol: 0mg

    Keywords: cake mixing, soaking dry fruits for christmas cake

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us at @foodofdebjani — we can't wait to see what you've made! Also, you can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar over there!

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    Recipe Video- soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake

    Have you tried the cake-mixing recipe from Debjanir Rannaghar!

    I would love to see a picture if you are making it following my recipe. You can share here at dolonchttrj@gmail.com. You can use my hashtag #debjanirrannaghar and share it through Instagram as well. and in addition, you can tag me at @foodofdebjani.

    Here are the soaking dry fruits for plum cake Recipe Pins for your Pinterest Board!

    %cake mixing for christmas cake pinterest
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    About Debjani Chatterjee Alam

    I am Debjani Chatterjee Alam. A CSR specialist by profession and a food writer, food blogger, and food photographer as well. I live in Kolkata along with my Husband Mehebub who is an architect by profession, my daughter Pasta, and also my dog daughters Coffee and Luchi.

    Learn more about me →

    More Christmas Recipes

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    Comments

    1. remya sean says

      December 23, 2014 at 11:30 am

      useful post:)
      plz visit my space too
      http://www.remyasean.blogspot.in

      Reply
      • Debjani Chatterjee (Alam) says

        December 23, 2014 at 12:08 pm

        Thanks Remya.... Just checking your blog... it's really good

        Reply
    2. Rickta Dutta says

      December 23, 2014 at 5:33 pm

      Nice...

      Reply
      • Debjani Chatterjee (Alam) says

        December 23, 2014 at 7:54 pm

        Thanks Rickta 🙂

        Reply
    3. Sunaina says

      December 23, 2016 at 6:28 pm

      Hi please tell me what is ginger and orange lemon peel? Is it normal peel
      or the candid peel (sugar coated peel) ?

      Reply
    4. Sunaina says

      December 23, 2016 at 6:29 pm

      I need to bake this tomorrow. Please help.

      Reply
      • Debjani says

        December 26, 2016 at 12:41 am

        Hey sorry, I was not able to check the blog and ended on replying you late. You can use both candied orange peel and the normal one

        Reply

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