I know that this may bring on guffaws, but fruitcake is serious business. Especially rum-fruit cake. The 'aunties' I know from Kerala would make this a good week before Christmas because they sit so well and they taste better and moister as time goes by. I found several recipes (a wonderful one here) online and finally decided on a combination to make this cake.
Raisins - 1/4 pound
Dates- 1/4 pound
Candied fruits, Orange
and Lemon peel - 1/4 cup
Plum, Cherry, Cranberry,
other dried fruits - 1/4 cup
Gold Rum - 1/4 cup
Cashewnuts(chopped) - 1/2 cup
Chop up the dried fruits, mix the fruits with rum. Keep at room temperature for a day.
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Cloves powder- 1/4 tsp
Ginger powder - 1/4 tsp
Butter - 1 stick, softened
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 3
Salt - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, cloves powder and dry ginger powder well. Sieve it if needed. Add fruits, nuts to the flour and mix well.
Whisk the butter and add sugar and whisk well, until it is creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, salt and then the flour mix, mix well. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Pour batter into the pan and bake. Cool the cake on a cooling rack, cover the cake with tin foil, refrigerate for about 3-4 days.
