Christmas is special and so the typical traditional Christmas cake is! To bake proper Christmas cake one thing is must which is nothing but properly seasoned Rum Soaked Fruits and Nuts! You may ask why do I at all need a separate post for Rum soaked Fruits and Nuts for Christmas cake! Believe me or not, this is extremely important. It is the heart of the Typical Indian Christmas cake which is a bit different than the Western version of the same.
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 Almond, Raisins, Dates, Walnut, Cashew Nut, Cherries and added Apricot, Peels after 2 weeks since those were not available initially to me.
In case you want your cake Alcohol free then just replace Rum with Orange Juice and soak fruits for 1 day. Rum can be replaced with Whiskey as well. Here goes the easy recipe for Rum soaked Fruits and Nuts for Christmas cake.
2016 Notes: There indeed is no harm in updating an old work and as I have prepared it this year as well and clicked 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 mixture this year.
2014 click
2015 click
- Almonds: 100 g.
- Raisins: 200 g.
- Prunes: 100 g.
- Dates: 100 g.
- Walnut: 100 g.
- Cashew Nut: 200 g.
- Cherries: 200 g.
- Apricot: 50 g.
- Orange-Lemon Peel : 2 Tbsp.
- Ginger Peel: 1 Tbsp.
- Dark Rum: 750 ml. (I've used Old Monk)
- Whiskey: 250 ml. (optional) (I've used Blenders Pride)
- Brandy: 250 ml. (optional) (I've used Old Admiral)
- Spice Mix: 50g
- Brown Sugar: 2 Tbsp.
- Chop all the fruits roughly into medium sized pieces.
- Take a Sterilized Glass jar and fill it with the chopped dry fruits.
- Add Orange-Lemon Peel, Ginger Peel Nutmeg Powder, Clove Powder and Cinnamon Powder to the fruit mixture.
- Pour the Rum, Whiskey, and Brandy. over the Fruit mixture.
- I though prefer to use Rum only but this year (2016) I have used a mixture of Rum, Whiskey, and Brandy.
- You can replace Whiskey and Brandy with the same amount of Rum.
- Mix it well and cover the jar properly and then place it in a dark place.
- Shake the jar in every 2-3 days.
- After one month of soaking add spice mix and brown sugar to the mixture.
- You can store this mixture in a dry place for more than a year.
Debjani’s Note:
Fruits and Nuts can be chosen based on own preference. Apart from Almond, Raisins, Dates, Walnut, Cashew Nut, Cherries, Apricot, Peels other dry fruits can also be added that includes Tutti Frutti too.
A few homemade Goodies used in making the Rum soaked Fruits and Nuts
Apart from Rum soaked Fruits & Nuts for Christmas cake I love to prepare Candied Orange Peels and Candied Ginger for making my Christmas cake. Below are the links for reference:
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