Christmas Cake
Ingredients
1 stick unsalted Butter (roughly 1/2 cup) at room temperature
1-1/2 cups Sugar
2 teaspoon of Sugar for caramelizing
3 Eggs
3 cups All-Purpose Flour (Maida)
A pinch of Salt
1/2 cup Milk at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
1/4 teaspoon of Almond Essence
2 Table spoons of ground all Spice Powder
2 level teaspoons of Baking Powder
1/2 cup dark Raisins
1/2 cup Dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup Tutti Fruity
A small piece of fresh Orange and Lemon rind chopped finely
1/4 cup blanched Almonds, chopped
1/4 cup chopped Walnuts
1/4 cup chopped Cashew nuts
2 teaspoons of Caramalised Sugar
2 teaspoons Instant Coffee dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water
Preparation of All Spice Powder
A small piece of Dried Ginger (chukku),
2 Cardamoms,
2 Cloves,
2 table spoons of Fennel (saunf)(also called sombu or perunjeeragam),
2 pieces of Cinnamon (lavanga pattai),
1/4 th of a Nutmeg]
Put all the above in the small containter of the mixi and dry grind it to a fine powder.
Caramelization of Sugar
Place 2 teaspoons of crystal sugar in a heavy pan and place on a low heat.
Sugar starts melting and stir continuously.
The color changes to amber and then to dark brown.
Now add small amount of water keeping your face away from the stove.
Lots of fumes will be coming (and be careful with the chmney alarm in
some countries)
After a few seconds you will get a dark colored caramalised sugar liquid.
Switch off the stove and cool this liquid.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 280 degrees F.
- Grease the bottom and sides of a big cake pan with a thin layer of butter and make a thin coating of maida and remove if there is any excess of maida in the pan.
- Sieve the flour with all the dry ingredients atleast 3 times.
- In a large bowl , beat the butter and sugar until thick and creamy.
- Beat the eggs in a mixer and add the egg mixture to the above creamed
butter and sugar.
- Add the caramelized sugar, instant coffee liquid, essence and mix.
Add the nuts, fruits, tutti fruity, chopped lemon and orange rinds and mix.
Now alternate with the milk and the sieved flour.
If you start with milk then you should end with milk.
(Just fold in the flour.This is very important for the nice texture of the
cake. No vigorous motion should be given)
The final batter should neither be too thick nor too thin.
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and level the surface just by
gentle tapping of the pan. Do not level with a spoon.
Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until a tester
inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cool atleast an hour before slicing.
