I have eaten many a fruitcake, but never baked any. And I have never liked homemade ones so much until I tasted this...which was almost a year ago. My aunt Rita, is a fab baker and she gave me this really dark wonderfully moist fruit cake to snack upon when I visited her for NY's. And I fell in love with it instantly! :)
I think I have said this before, I never let go of a chance to write down a good recipe from a trusted source.And my blog is a collection of all those :)
I have had my readers requesting for a good fruitcake recipe . I did not want to post it earlier because fruitcake has always been very 'christmasy' for me :) So I waited all these days...and finally I baked my first fruitcake ! :)
We were having our Christmas Carol group from our Parish visting us last evening...so I had another reason to bake this :) LOL! As if I ever needa reason! :)
ULTRA MOIST FRUIT CAKE
Recipe source: Rita aunty
Ingredients:
Ghee/Clarified butter -250 g
Flour-200g
Sugar-250g
Sugar-250g
Nuts-100g,powdered [I used a mix of almonds and cashewnuts]
Roasted semolina-50g
Cinnamon- 6, 2 " sticks powdered
Cloves-12 nos, powdered
Jam/marmalade- 2tbsp
Eggs-5, separated
Granulated sugar- 5tbsp
Caramel syrup-9 tbsp
Vanilla extract-1 tsp
Baking powder-1 tsp
Fruits* soaked in rum/brandy-600 g [I soaked my fruits along with 4 tbsp of caramel syrup for 6 months]
Brandy-2tbsp
Milk-1/2 cup
Orange juice-1 cup
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Grease and line a baking tin.
- Sift flour with baking powder, semolina ,powdered nuts and spices.
- Beat egg yolks and sugar. Add ghee/clarified butter and beat well.
- Add milk,orange juice, vanilla, jam,caramel syrup and beat well.
- Fold in the flour mixture. Add the soaked fruits(coated with some flour) and brandy.
- Beat egg whites stiffly and fold into the batter.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake till done.[It took 1 hour 10 minutes for me.]
- Cool and cut into pieces.
- You can wrap this cake in foil & store in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
*It included golden raisins,sultanas, dried fig, glaced cherries, glaced apricots, prunes & tutti-fruti. My cousin tried baking this cake with fruits that were soaked just for 5 days...and it was perfect!
Edited on 28/11/18 - I have reduced the fruit measurement to 600g from 750g. That's what I use these days.
Edited on 28/11/18 - I have reduced the fruit measurement to 600g from 750g. That's what I use these days.
Frosting:
Ingredients:
Powdered sugar
Food colurs
Water
Method:
- Make a thick, piping consistency mixture of sugar and water.
- Add 2 -3 drops of food colour to it.
- Fill a baggie, snip of it's ends and decorate the cake.
Will it be too difficult for you to believe if I said, 'This is the world's best fruitcake?' ;) It is really an amazing one! The flavours mature very well as days go by. Try it and then you will realise that, after all it was not that hard to believe Ria :) I am going to bake this every year from now on!
I am sending this post as an entry to Priyanka's It's time to jingle again...event!
60 Comments:
Festive and delicious!
Wow! Wow! So pretty! I very much like the frosting!
luscious moist cake... i cudnt find caramel syrup in the method/process. guess itz a typo :)
I have had many a fruit cakes too but nothing quite to what I like..Love what you did with the frosting!
hey Ria i want to try this cake..but i think its too late to soak de dry fruits..wat do u say..?
Super moist and tempting fruit cake dear......
Thank you all for your lovely words! :)
Twinsy- Thanks for pointing it out! I have added the caramel syrup in the method now :)
Asha- Hey gurl! That shouldn't stop you! My cousin soaked her fruits for just 5 days and the cake was PERFECT! So go ahead and try it! :)
wow that's a lovely cake ria...
Gud one Ria!!!its a visual treat....i'm sure its gonna b yummy too...Can fruits b soaked in any juice since we do not use liquer.?
Christmas is not complete when there is no fruit cake...I m more impressed and wish to try this..
Zareena- I haven't tried soaking in another liquid as this was my first time baking a fruitcake. But maybe you can try soaking them in orange juice :)It would soak well sans the liquor taste :)
There you are with THE recipe for the fruit cake..I've been waiting for it for so long!!!Love..♥loooooove♥ the decoration on top.I have a similar cake pan in which I am plng to bake the cake too..let me see if I can drape it up too..:)
i adoreeeeeeeeeeee fruit cakes... not so beige ones u get in stores but those luscious almost chocolaty ones that ppl sell from their homes in kottayam!!! so so SO GOOD!! this one looks just like those but so many questions...the first one was alreadfy addressed... we dont use liquor so im guessing grape juice or orange juice would work well??? and also.. how exactly do i make caramel syrup??? can hardly wait to try this one..looks superb ria! kudos! to you and your aunt!
Divya- Thank you SO much for waiting! :) I wanted it to be christmas season to post this recipe! Hoping to see your tree cake soon! xoxo
Ninu- Yes, even I dislike the beige coloured fruitcakes. A fruitcake as you said,should be almost black in colour.Trust me, this is like that. But make sure you soak the fruits along with the caramel syrup inorder to get this dark colour.
To make the caramel syrup: I have no proportion, but you need to take water and sugar in a sauce pan, boil it on medium high till you get a dark, almost black colour syrup. Be very careful,because you don't want it to burn.Swirl the pan occasionally and wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush too!
Anymore doubts, let me know. You can also use store bought syrup, but if that's the case reduce it to just 4 tbsp.
wow.. my favorite Fruit Cake :) Love the colors on it, feels like christmas already..
Ria:
I see your photo depicts an absolute marvel, love the frosting...love it!!
Clap clap clap!!!Ria....this one looks so gorgeous my sweetheart.....I always only tried that beige coloured one we get from sheen:)....but even liked those and thought that was the best....but today i had a fruit cake from one friends house here......And ria,......it was so so so tasty....dint know they were so tasty...thought of taking few nibbles and eneg up gobbling!!!!.it was rich, and yours look even richer, moist and yummy......I have been wanting to try this for very very long time......pinney ente ee cake theetta kurakkaan nokkumbo inganey ulla oro recipe kaanumbol, i get tempted again and again!!!Very well done...when i make a cake, im coming here, for sure....:)
Pinney u soaked fruits for 6 months or 6 weeks...u shocked me when i read it six months...
pinney regarding many readers question, i have read in many places that liquor can be substituted for orange juice, and i will have to do the same....Um, katha aayi comment..
Thank you everybody :)
Shabs- Breathe girl, breathe! PHEW! that was the longest comment I have ever recieved! ;) Not that I don't like it...I LOVE it! :)
And yes, will you be shocked again if I told you that I soaked my fruits for 6 MONTHS?? :D I felt I should have soaked them for atleast 12 because in our family we have people who use fruits that have been soaked for 24 months! :)
breath takingly beautiful!
nothin can be more beautiful than this,.;-)thnks for this awesome entry,..and sending for the Jingle Event,..;-)
WOw, somebody has been having fun with colours here :))) Happy Christmas!
Ria,
U r right about soaking fruits for 12 to 24 months.. even i have got aunts who do that..my doubt is wont the orange or grape juice gets spoiled if we keep it for a minimum of six months at least or do we have to keep changing the juice? complete teetotalers, hence liquor isnt permitted at home...:)))
THAT cake looks lovely and i've already soaked my fruits..CAN I USE BUTTER INSTEAD OF CLARIFIED BUTTER OR GHEE..
Twinsy- I don't think the fruit juice would last long. So guess it can be used for the last minute soaking for those who don't use alcohol.
Reena- YES! You can definately use butter instead of ghee. But I would suggest you to use the latter...cos there is a difference in taste :)It's more yum!
Wow that looks so yummy....i am not one for fruit cakes...infact i dont like them at all ...but urs looks so perfect ...keep up the good work !!
I had a piece of fruitcake YEARS ago and was so good. And I've been trying to duplicate the recipe ever since.
This might be it and I'm making it for sure next year!
Ria,
Reena again.Thanks a lot for the prompt response.I have another doubt as well.The fruits have to be tossed in the flour mixture so that they dont sink to the bottom of the pan right ? It was missing in your steps or so I thought.I am a newbie in baking fruit cakes.
Will let you know the results once baking is done.
Thats Reena..and not Sony..sorry about the technical error...
Reena- Sorry,thought that goes without saying :)Yes, you need to toss them in flour :)
hey ria
i baked my first ever fruit cake thanks to you and it tasted very good...the only difference from yours was that mine wasnt very dark compared to ur cake..it was a lighter shade..i had soaked the fruits in caramel..anyways thats not a problem...cos the taste was nice..hope i get a darker texture on my next try..
Your snowball cookies are a great hit in my house :)..I've made them several times now..Thanks for ur wonderful recipes.
Hi Ria,
this is my first time on your site and I have to say you have me inspired and impressed...Lovely clicks, and lovelier designs ...You rock,,
Hiope you have a wonderful and loveley married life with your loved one.
shobha
Hey Ria!! Such a lovely blog and such wonderful fruit cake! I love the plum/rum/fruit cake that you get in India, especially in Kerela during christmas! My aunt used to stay in Cochin and I got my fill of plum cake from her and loved it! I have a couple of questions for you today, first tell me if plum cake, rum cake and fruit cake are all the same??? I'm so confused :(
And next, I have a very strange request for you. As much as I love fruitcake, my husband is not a fan of nuts and dried fruit in his cakes. Is there a way to replicate the authentic recipe sans the fruits and nuts? Please tell me if you have a recipe :) Thanks!
Reena- Thank you so much for trying.I am so happy that you liked it. Snow balls are a big hit with us too! :)
Anubhavathi-Thank you so much!!
Ambika-Thank you so much for your comments.
I feel they are the same. Plum cake, fruit cake, rum cake et all. Because all of them have fruits and rum :)
Then for your hubby, I think you can go ahead with a basic vanilla cake, add a splash or 2 of rum and also add in some powdered nuts + caramel syrup for the colour.
If you soak the fruits for long, your wouldn't even get to bite them in your cakes :)
I hope this helps! :)
If you are in doubt, lemme know!
OMG!! this is what I've been searching for aaages!! yours is the only recipe on Google which rich moist n DARK.. seriously!! most plum cakes i found were light brown.. how come yours is dark brown / black?? 1 more question.. which pan should i use for it??
as you can see am new (hardly a month old) to this baking world!! and to tell you the truth, your blog along with very few others lured me into this world!! a big thanks for that!! :)
Manju- Wow,so there are some unique stuff on google, huh :)
I have added caramel while soaking the fruits as well as for the cake batter. I made the caramel syrup very dark and hence the colour.
You can use any pan,say an 8" round or an 8 x 8" square. Do not fill it more than 2/3rds of the tin , because it will increase the baking time and the results will not be all that exciting.
Hope to see you more here! All the best with your baking endeavors! :)
Hello Ria
With Xmaz round the corner i was thinking of baking a plum cake(one of the many things i miss from kannur)...ur cake luks xcatly like the one i had last xmaz...i had it from my friends place and her aunt had made these(think her name is rita too..she is from payyambalam) anyways it was d best fruit cake i had ever eaten with a melt in d mouth quality...ill b definitely makn it...thanx a lot ria 4 posting such a wonderful recipe
p.s..i've eaten many of ur mom's goodies 2...especially those mini chicken samosa's...they r simply superb
Darshana,
Now I really want to know who you are! I couldn't find a link to you.
I guess we have the same source for the cake( for me , the recipe too!) :-) She is my aunt.Isn't it the best? I simply love this recipe!!
Will tell Amma how much you love her mini samosa's! :)
hi ria
:)...v have been to the same tution classes(mani sir's maths class....i know it's a long time back...:))my mum(her name is latha an v r 4m payyambalam 2) and ur mum know each other...had bought the cake from asha aunty(they had sum sale goin last xmaz)...i stumbled upon ur blog after my marriage(to be precise when survival was an issue)...i've told my amma that u hve a beautiful blog with amazing cake recipes
Darshana,Oh yes, I remember you! There was another girl with you, right? Where are you now? When did you get married?
Thank you for that publicity :)
When i caramelize sugar for caramel custard, the caramel tends to harden once cooled. So what do i do to make it runnier in order to soak d fruits? Can u pls give an approximate portion that you use for sugar and water to make this syrup?
When i make caramel syrup for caramel custard it tends to harden once cooled. What do i do to make d caramel syrup runnier to soak d fruits. Can you pls give an approximate amount of sugar and water that you use to make d syrup? That would be helpful.
Love ur page Ria...I also faced the same problem as above..Caramel syrup hardened immediately on reaching the desired colour.So I added water to it, but then the cake had a brownish shade,instead of black..But it tasted amazing for a fruit cake..MAde for my son's 1st birthday
Hi ria
Wat kind of fruits do I soak except tutti fruity can u please let me know . I love moist cakes this one looks like the one we get in taj residency Cochin . Lovely
Hi ria
I love moist cakes was just wondering
wat fruits to soak except tutti fruity which I'm not found of do u suggest I soak the nuts n fruits together also your cake looks lovely like the one I usually get from taj residency Cochin :)
I have a question about fruit. How many cup of fruit before soaking? And how much rum you use for soaking plus your 4 tab spoon syrup? Please clarify. Thank you, I look forward to trying your recipe. Oh, and one more thing, what can I substitute for semolina? I couldn't find it in my country. And also what is the clarified butter? I never make fruit cake before and yours looks very moist and delicious!
Hi Ria, this cake looks delicious! Planning to bake this cake soon. Since there is no mention about the cake pan, I would like to know the pan size to be used for this recipe. One 8" pan or one 9" pan or two 8/9 inches pan? And will the cake rise? Asking the last bit to see if I could use just one pan, if the cake don't rise as normal cake does. Thank you :)
Wanted to try this recipe for Christmas.Please specify the flavour/type of jam to be used.
Thank you.
Princy.
Hi Viju,you will need two 8 inch or 9 inch pans. This cake will rise so you will have to use two pans :)
Hello Tineth, you can use any jam. It doesn't matter!
Rohit, I am so sorry for replying so late! I usually use about half the qty of sugar for the water.
Tinu, so glad it worked for you! Hope you son had a great day!
Bimil, I have mentioned above what all fruits can be used. Basically any dry fruit will work.
Mook, I use rum to the level of fruits.Semolina is cream of wheat and clarified butter is also known as Ghee. If you cannot find it,you can substitute it with unsalted butter :)
I have tried this last year and it came out so well ...some one thought it is from Anns Bakery:) I have some fruits which was soaked last year. I do not remember the weight of the fruits before soaking with caramel and rum.. any idea approximately how much it will increase when soaked.?
Dilis, it will be about 900-950g. So happy to know you like this cake, it's one of my favourites! Enjoy :)
Hi Ria, Could u tell me whether the 750gm soaked fruits mentioned in the recipe is post soaked weight?
Annu, you will need 750 g fruits for soaking. It will weigh about 900-950g after soaking.
Thanks Ria... I will do tat.. Awesome blog by the way.. I tried ur appam , one pot chicken n chocolate cake .. It was awesome...
Hi Ria, I made this cake last day,"Wow" it was awesome.. Really felt like eating Ann's fruit cake. I am really a fan of Ann's fruit cake. I didnt like any other fruit cake till now. But this recipe changed the whole story.. I soaked the fruits only for 3 weeks.I didn't have enough patience to wait for a month even... N d real taste of d cake comes next day .
Thanks Ria for the amazing recipe! The best plum cake recipe I’ve made in a couple years. Cake was yummmm and received sooo many compliments :)
Hello Ria, Tk you for sharing your aunts recipe for a beautiful fruit cake.
Looking forward to preparing the cake this xmas. Cld u pls clarify my doubts.
I noticed as sweetner u have jam, carmel syrup and 5 T Sugar.
This is enough to sweeten the cake or am I missing something?
Thank you
Hello Gracy, thanks for bringing it to my notice. I guess I must have accidently deleted the sugar part while editing the recipe over the years! I have updated it now. It's a good one!
Hi Ria,
I have been following your fruit cake recipe for the past couple of years and its been a delicious journey.
I notice now the quantity of dry fruits has been changed to 600gm. But I have already soaked in 750g fruits. Should I change the quantities of other ingredients accordingly to accomodate this 750gms? A reply would be appreciated.
Thanks !
Anna
Made the moist fruit cake and it was really yumm. I used a homemade lolollika jam, think that gave it a nice flavour too. But the colour of my cake was not as dark as urs though, may b the caramel was not dark enough...
Thanks for the awesome recipe Ria. Will try more soon
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