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.

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.

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.

soaking dry fruits for christmas cake Debjanir Rannaghar

Soaking Dry Fruits for Christmas cake!

Print Recipe

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

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, Candied Ginger Peel to the fruit mixture.
Pour the Rum, Whiskey, Bourbon, Port wine, or whatever alcohol you are using over the Fruit mixture.
I use rum as the main alcohol and others as secondary.
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 every 2-3 days.
After one month of soaking add spice mix and brown sugar to the mixture. (This is a mandatory step)
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

Find it online: https://kitchenofdebjani.com/2014/12/rum-soaked-fruits-nuts-for-christmas-cake/