As Christmas is around the corner ,we have come to the last part of the preparation, baking The Christmas Cake/ Rich Fruit and Nut Cake/Plum Cake. Yes, Dry fruits well soaked for more than a month and Home made Sticky Dark Treacle are ready to mix in the cake batter. I’m so excited as always to prepare this special cake this year too.
I prefer making Home made wine to soak the dry fruits but due to busy schedule I,used store bought Red wine for soaking .The process of soaking dry fruits and stirring every alternate days and making homemade Treacle may look laborious but well planned ,this is quiet an easy Cake recipe to nail .
Homemade Dark Treacle and Soaking The Dry Fruits in Red wine gives the fabulous colour to the Cake . The Christmas Cake is slightly dense ,moist and loaded with soaked dry fruits and nuts with barely enough spice mix cake batter to hold it all together.
Cake batter is baked for more than Two hours unlike other cakes. First 60 mins at 160 °C and reduce temperature to 150 °C and continue baking for 60 to 70 mins.
How to Feed and Store Christmas Cake
After baking poke the cake with a skewer. Brush(feed) the cake with wine on top and side of the cake. Feed the cake twice a week to keep the cake moist and it also acts as a preservative,so the cake can be stored for many months. Wrap the cake in an aluminium foil and store it in a cool place. If making in big batches and wanted to store for many months feed the cake regularly. Do try and let me know your feedback in comments. Lets see the step by step preparation .
How to bake Christmas Cake/Rich Fruit and Nut Cake/ Plum Cake
Preparation Time : 15 mins
Baking Time : 2 hrs 10 mins
Serves : 15
Ingredients
All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
Unsalted Butter – 200 gms
Brown Sugar – 1 cup
Egg – 3
Almond Flour – ¾ cup
Soaked Dry Fruits – 556 gms
Chopped Cashew – ½ cup
Dark Treacle – 4 tbsp
Cinnamon and clove powder – 1 tsp
Nutmeg powder – ½ tsp
Orange juice and zest – 1
Lemon Juice – 1
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Blanched Almonds – 20
For Brushing and Feeding Cake – Red wine
Procedure
First strain the wine and weigh the Soaked Dry fruits in wine.
Get ready with all the ingredients at room temperature.
Sift All purpose flour,Baking powder and salt and keep aside.Add two tablespoon of flour from the measured flour to the soaked dry fruits and add chopped cashew nuts and mix evenly. This helps to evenly distribute in the cake and do not sink to the bottom of the cake.
In a bowl add room temperature butter and cream in an electric hand beater until creamy.
Add brown sugar and beat well until it is well combined.
Add one egg at a time and beat well .
Now add orange lemon juice,orange zest and spice mix and beat until it is well combined. The mixture look curdle but do not worry.
Add Dark Treacle to the mixture and beat for few seconds.
Add dry fruits and chopped cashew and mix with a spatula.
Preheat oven to 160 C . Now add in Almond flour and All purpose flour and mix gently using spatula by cut and fold method.
Grease pan and line with parchment paper.Transfer the fruit and nut cake batter to the greased spring form pan and level the cake batter with a spatula and tap the pan on a kitchen counter. Decorate some blanched almonds as shown .
Bake in a preheated oven for 60 mins at 160 °C .
Reduce the oven temperature to 150 °C and continue to bake for about 60 to 70 mins until inserted skewer comes out clean with moist crumbs.
Poke the Cake with wooden skewer and brush(feed) with wine on top and side of the cake.
Rich Fruit and Nut Cake /Christmas Cake /Plum Cake is ready to devour. Bake this Cake for Christmas and New year.
More Cake Recipes You Might Like to Try
Basic Vanilla Cake/Easy Vanilla Cake
Eggless Butterless Chocolate Cake
Panforte/Italian Christmas Fruit and Nut Cake
No-Bake Blueberry Biscuit Mousse Cake
Notes
You can use any Alcohol as per your taste. If want to avoid alcohol you can add orange juice or boil dry fruits.
When cake top turns dark cover with an aluminium foil.
Christmas Cake/ Rich Fruit and Nut Cake/Plum Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup All Purpose Flour
- 0.9 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 3 Egg
- ¾ cup Almond Flour
- 2.4 cup Soaked Dry Fruits
- ½ cup Chopped Cashew
- 4 tablespoon Home made Dark Treacle
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon and clove powder
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg powder
- 1 Orange juice and zest
- 1 Lemon Juice(from 1 whole lemon)
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 20 Blanched Almonds
- Red wine( for brushing and feeding the cake)
Instructions
- First strain the wine and weigh the Soaked Dry fruits in wine.
- Get ready with all the ingredients at room temperature.
- Sift All purpose flour,Baking powder and salt and keep aside.Add two tablespoon of flour from the measured flour to the soaked dry fruits and add chopped cashew nuts and mix evenly. This helps to evenly distribute in the cake and do not sink to the bottom of the cake.
- In a bowl add room temperature butter and cream in an electric hand beater until creamy.
- Add brown sugar and beat well until it is well combined.
- Add one egg at a time and beat well .
- Now add orange lemon juice,orange zest and spice mix and beat until it is well combined. The mixture look curdle but do not worry.
- Add Home made Dark Treacle to the mixture and beat for few seconds.
- Add dry fruits and chopped cashew and mix with a spatula.
- Preheat oven to 160 C . Now add in Almond flour and All purpose flour and mix gently using spatula by cut and fold method.
- Grease pan and line with parchment paper.Transfer the fruit and nut cake batter to the greased spring form pan and level the cake batter with a spatula and tap the pan on a kitchen counter. Decorate some blanched almonds as shown .
- Bake in a preheated oven for 60 mins at 160 °C. Reduce the oven temperature to 150 °C and continue to bake for about 60 to 70 mins until inserted skewer comes out clean with moist crumbs.
- Poke the Cake with wooden skewer and brush(feed) with wine on top and side of the cake.
- Rich Fruit and Nut Cake /Christmas Cake /Plum Cake is ready to devour. Bake this Cake for Christmas and New year.
Notes
Kaviya
Thank you for ur guideness… Surely wanna try this receipe..
JAYANTHY
Hi Kaviya,
It’s my pleasure????.Do try the recipe and let me know the feedback.Happy Baking!
Ronak Mehta
The cake looks perfect and fabulous to bake for a special day. Yes, its definitely the best fruit cake. Lovely!!
JAYANTHY
Thank you!
Sapna bohra
Eggreplacer in Christmas cake
JAYANTHY
You can use vinegar and baking soda, flax seed, banana, apple sauce and yougurt.
June
Can you use brandy instead…do you soak fruit for a month ? Do you keep in fridge during the process ? Thanks
JAYANTHY
Check the below post link for all the details of how I soak the dry fruits.
https://platetopalateblog.com/christmas-cake-preparation-part-1-soaking-the-dry-fruits/
Martha
Going to try, but why am I weighing fruit after I strain when I’m directed to measure 2.4 cups? And, .9 of butter? Can this be converted to Tablespoons? Thanks
JAYANTHY
According to the recipe, I followed the metric measurements and the cup measurements is the automated measurements of the recipe card. So, you can follow any measurements which you like. Also, you can convert butter measurement to tbs.
G
I agree the measurements can differ when using cups and gms. Mine did not turn out as it should and I thinks it’s because of the mixed units of measure. Why not stick to measurement in grams which is more accurate and consistent.
JAYANTHY
There’s a Metric measurement in the recipe card where you can switch from US measures. Do try and let me know your feedback. Happy Baking!
Leander Fernandes
Awesome recipe
JAYANTHY
Thank you!
angela giacomelli
Nice recipe,
I have beautiful red wine husband made for cake
Please let me me know size of pan
Ill let you knw how it turns out,
I will useangela awalnut’s in cake instead of cashews and soak with fruit.
thank you
JAYANTHY
I used 9″ pan. Do let me know how it turned out. Happy Baking!
angela giacomelli
Nice recipe,
I have beautiful red wine husband made for cake
Please let me me know size of pan
Ill let you knw how it turns out,
I will use walnut’s in cake instead of cashews and soak with fruit.
thank you
JAYANTHY
I used 9″ pan. Do let me know how it turned out. Happy Baking!