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Prep Time: 120 Minutes Cook Time: 180 Minutes |
Ready In: 300 Minutes Servings: 48 |
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The traditional Caribbean Christmas cake, aka euphoria! This heavy-duty rum fruit cake takes some time to make: with the minimum soaking time the recipe extends over two days, but I always take a month! However, it's of course not active working time ;-) and the cake is not difficult to make at all, so don't let the length of the instructions scare you! The most tedious part is chopping the fruit - try to resist to urge to use a food processor, as chopping by hand will give you the best results. Have a glass of wine, listen to your favourite music and make a night of it! If, however, you do give in to temptation, be very careful not to process the fruit into a sticky mass: you want finely chopped, not jam! Serve this wonderful cake in thin slivers with a dollop of whipped cream. Ingredients:
1/2 lb currants |
1/2 lb raisins |
1/2 lb prune |
1/2 lb dried fig |
1 (8 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained |
1/4 lb mixed peel |
2 ounces almonds, finely chopped |
1 1/4 cups dark rum |
1 teaspoon vanilla |
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves |
6 ounces brown sugar |
1/4 cup boiling water |
1 teaspoon lime peel, grated |
2 cups flour |
2 teaspoons baking powder |
1/2 lb butter |
1 1/8 cups sugar |
5 eggs |
Directions:
1. To prepare the fruit mix: Finely chop currants, raisins, prunes, figs and cherries.
2. Combine in a large bowl with mixed peel and almonds.
3. Mix vanilla and ground cloves with rum, and pour the rum mixture over the fruit mix.
4. Stir to combine.
5. Cover the bowl tightly, and let soak for a minimum of 24 hours and up to one month.
6. Prepare the caramelised sugar on the day you intend to bake the cake.
7. Put brown sugar in a heavy pot.
8. Carefully cook over low heat stirring constantly, until sugar liquefies and begins to turn darker.
9. Do not burn!
10. When sugar has turned dark, remove pot from heat and gradually stir in hot water.
11. Mix well.
12. Let the mixture cool.
13. Final cooking: Preheat oven to 120 C (250 F).
14. Line a round cake tin with buttered parchment paper.
15. Stir lime peel and caramelised sugar into the fruit mixture.
16. Set aside.
17. Sift together flour and baking powder.
18. Set aside.
19. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
20. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until blended.
21. Add the flour mixture, stir to combine.
22. Add the fruit mixture, stir to combine.
23. Pour batter into the prepared tin and place the pan in a larger shallow pan filled with hot water.
24. Cook in the preheated oven for 2 1/2- 3 hours or until cake tests done.
25. Cake should shrink from the sides of the pan.
26. Cool cake in the tin for 24 hours before removing.
27. Let the cake ripen for some time before serving.
28. Fruit cake keeps very well, but if you want to store it for a longer time, moisten it with additional rum from time to time.
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