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Ruchik Randhap

Food & Memories of Mangalore

You are here: Home / All Posts / Rich Cake (Christmas Cake)

December 17, 2010

Rich Cake (Christmas Cake)

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In my personal opinion, I think a well made Christmas Cake is worth every effort put into making it. From what i’ve read, in the West the preparation of a cake mix usually begins a year in advance. In many parts of Europe people gift each other their cake mixes as part of the Christmas tradition and all that’s left to do for the person who receives such a gorgeous gift is to just add flour, eggs & butter & bake it! Mmmmmm..I should ask my friends to start this tradition cuz I really feel that the Christmas Cake recipe is the mother of all recipes (with so much time & effort that goes into it). It is also for this reason that maybe the cake keeps (in an airtight box) for almost 6 months to 1 year after it has been baked. This is typically so because of all that rum or brandy that is used to soak up the fruits & later feed the cake that helps preserve it.
I have been hunting for the right cake recipe for ages. I personally believe that since ’tis the season to be jolly, any cake made with loads of love is a yummy cake after all. However, I will not stop improvising on this cake (like i’ve done for the past few years). This cake didnt turn out as dark as preferred but it was quite delicious & moist inside (never mind the adventure & near death experience behind it..lol!)
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Rich Cake
You Need:

Fruits to be soaked:

  • 50gms Sultanas (dried seedless white grapes a little more plum & golden than regular raisins)
  • 50gms Raisins (dried white grapes )
  • 50gms Currants (dried black seedless grapes)
  • 50gms Figs roughly chopped
  • 50gms Apricots roughly chopped
  • 50gms pitted prunes roughly chopped
  • 100ml brandy or rum

Soak the above dry fruits & keep covered. You can keep overnight or over several days if preferred (in an airtight jar, stirring once a day)

For the mixed spice
  • 1 tsp Coriander seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
  • 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp All Spice
  • 1/2 tsp Dry Ginger
  • 1/4 tsp Cloves
  • 1/4 tsp Green Cardamom seeds

For the Cake

  • 225gms Flour
  • 1 tsp Mixed spice
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 225gms Muscovado or Demerara Sugar (brown sugar)
  • 225gms Unsalted Butter
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 tbsp Rind of orange – finely chopped
  • 50gms Walnuts or Almonds roughly chopped

Method:

Now…you know the drill…beat the butter & sugar, then add the eggs, then the sifted flour…fold, pour into a baking dish….bake…and voila! your cake is ready….Sigh! I wish it was as simple as gobbling up a cake…but since patience is a virtue, I try to take a deep breath & enjoy the process of baking a cake…cuz I’ve had many a disasters while baking the Christmas cake (from completely burnt to undone – I’ve seen ’em all). This is my fourth year into baking my Christmas cake & it was the first time that I moved to a conventional oven – the OTG, from my true blue friend – the Electrolux Microwave with Convection which has seen me through many many cakes & breads.

To begin with:

– Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt & mixed spice. Keep aside
– Roll the nuts in some flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake
– Grease a 8″ pan with butter & dust it with flour evenly across the bottom & the sides of the pan OR line the baking dish with parchment paper
– Set aside 1 cup of the sugar for caramelising and toss the remaining into a large bowl and add the butter (at room temperature)
– Beat butter & sugar till fluffy for about 3-4 minutes (till the mixture looks a bit pale)
– Add 1 egg at a time, mixing it well & beating it along with the butter & sugar. Beat for a minute & repeat with the next egg till all eggs have been blended well. If the mixture appears like its curdling sprinkle some flour
– Add the flour & orange juice alternately ensuring that everything is well mixed
– Take a thick bottomed pan & add the sugar set aside for caramelising and stir on low flame till it becomes a blackish syrup syrup. Add 1/2 cup of hot water but be careful as the syrup & hot water combo may splutter
– Add the caramelised syrup to the batter
– Stir in the soaked dry fruits and the nuts and the rind
– Fold well. Test the consistency of the batter by dropping a little from the spatula from a height. If its too dry, it wont budge! If its too watery, it will be all sloppy. You just need the right consistency. So you can add either a little flour (about 1 tbsp) or some warm milk (abt 2tbsps) as the case may be
– Preheat oven to 140 degree celcius for about 5-6 mins
– Pour the batter into the greased baking dish and place on the centre rack of the oven
– Bake for 55-60 minutes and check if the cake is done (skewer/knife comes out clean)
– When the cake is done, remove & cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container
– You can use the brandy that was used to soak the fruits to also feed the cake. This is to ensure that the cake remains moist & increase its longevity. Poke a few holes on the surface of the cake with a toothpick or skewer and pour a few drops of the brandy or rum once a week.

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Now…get set…go! And tell me how it turned out!
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Filed Under: All Posts, Bakes, Cakes, Cupcakes & Brownies, Christmas, Festive Cooking Tagged With: Cakes, Christmas Cakes, Rich Fruit Cakes

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Comments

  1. Sonia says

    October 2, 2011 at 10:52 pm

    Sigh ! If at all I succeeded in baking !

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    October 25, 2011 at 7:57 am

    Any suggestions to remove the egg smell from the cake..

    Reply
  3. Mira dsouza says

    December 19, 2013 at 6:45 am

    can you tell me what is all spice and mixed spice.

    Reply
  4. Shireen Sequeira says

    December 19, 2013 at 7:46 pm

    @ Mira: All spice is a kind of spice that has an aroma of all the spices (cinnamon, cloves etc) put together. It is popularly grown in Coastal Karnataka and Kerala. It looks almost like peppercorns. Mixed spice on the other hand is a powder/blend similar to garam masala…but it doesn't contain spicy elements like red chillies or peppers like the garam masala powder. Mixed spice is used in Christmas cakes and usually contains a mix of coriander seeds, dried ginger, all spice, nutmeg, cloves, mace & cinnamon powders

    Reply
  5. Janice Pearl D'Souza says

    December 24, 2019 at 10:29 am

    WOW!!!! Baking this was a completely wonderful experience and it was really simple with such easy and clear step-by-step instructions. Thanks a ton… since I’ve lost my grandma’s recipe for it. And this is so close… it’s in the oven at the moment and it smells wonderfully Christmasy!!! A merry Christmas to you!

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      December 24, 2019 at 3:51 pm

      Hi Janice,

      Thanks a lot for the great feedback! I am so happy to know that you liked this recipe! Do let me know how it tasted after you cut it!

      Reply
  6. Sharoncrystal says

    August 27, 2021 at 12:40 pm

    For a half kg cake wat r the measurements I can take ma’am

    Reply
    • Shireen Sequeira says

      September 13, 2021 at 9:24 am

      Sorry I have not made such a small cake. I guess you’ll have to scale down the ingredients

      Reply

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I am Shireen Sequeira a Mangalorean living in Dubai. I love trying out new recipes and giving them a twist of my own. However, I do try my best to preserve the authenticity of traditional Mangalorean recipes. Know More...

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