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Christmas Fruit Cake | Christmas Plum Cake

December 25, 2018 By Maumita Paul 5 Comments

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Christmas Fruit CakePin
Christmas is about celebration, festivities and joy. The joy of life. The joy of sharing and caring.
Symbolising the birth of the Messiah.
Christmas is a potpourri of images. That grip you with nostalgia and return you to those years of innocent childhood.
Infant Jesus in his crib as the wise men bless.
The decked up Christmas tree. With the shimmering decorative hangings. And the twinkling lights.
The old mirthful Santa Claus on his reindeer driven sleigh.
The gifts in the stockings. Guaranteed to light up the faces of the little angels.
The midnight mass.
The plaintive strains of Silent Night Holy Night reverberating through the midnight tranquil.
A solemn pledge to shun violence. A pledge to be more tolerant.
The Christmas roast.
And that sinful Christmas plum cake.With a decadent overload of rum-soaked fruits.
Rich and moist, my Christmas plum cake guarantees an explosion of flavours that shall return you to childhood.
Enjoy !!!!

Christmas Fruit CakePin

 

Christmas Fruit CakePin

Christmas Fruit Cake | Christmas Plum Cake

No Christmas is complete without that sinful plum cake. With a decadent overload of rum-soaked fruits. Rich and moist, my plum cake guarantees an explosion of flavours that shall return you to childhood. Enjoy !!!!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 2 hrs
Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
Course Dessert

Ingredients
  

Christmas Fruit Cake

  • 2.5 cup flour
  • 1.5 cup butter soft
  • 4 eggs at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp all spice powder freshly ground
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence

Soaking of Fruits

  • 1 lit rum or brandy or a mixture of two
  • 200 g dried prunes roughly chopped
  • 200 g pitted dates roughly chopped
  • 200 g sultanas or raisins roughly chopped
  • 200 g dried cherries roughly chopped
  • 200 dried apricots roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • 3 tbsp orange juice

All-Spice Powder

  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon freshly ground
  • 1.5 tsp clove freshly ground
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
  • 1.5 tsp ginger powder

Instructions
 

Soaking of Fruits

  • Pour the liquor in a mixing bowl. Add 3 tsp of the all-spice powder, give it a hearty mix. Now add the orange zest and orange juice to the spiced liquor and give it another good stir.
  • Soak the dry fruits in about 800 ml of the spiced liquor. Keep aside in an air-tight jar. Ideally, you would want to leave all the fruits soaked in the spiced liquor for at least 5-7 days; the longer the merrier.
  • If all the liquid has been absorbed by the dry fruits, feel free to add another slug of rum every so often.

Christmas Fruit Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 135C.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp of the all-spice powder into a bowl.
  • In another large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electrical beater till light and fluffy. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and molasses. Mix well.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg batter. Fold gently to mix well.
  • Now take 4 cups of the soaked dry fruits along with a bit of soaking liqueur and 2 tbsp of spiced rum and add to the batter. Give it a gentle mix.
  • Line a 9 inch spring-form cake tin with parchment paper, lightly grease. Pour the batter into the cake tin, gently level the top with a spatula.
  • Put the cake tin in the middle rack of the oven, bake for close to 2 hrs or till a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the skewer doesn't come out clean, bake for an additional 5-7 minutes more and check again.
  • Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes in the cake with the skewer, spoon over 2 tbsp of your spiced rum. Cover with an aluminium foil.
  • Allow the cake to cool to room temperature. Remove carefully from the spring-form tin. Peel off the baking parchment, wrap well in cling film and store in a cool, dry place for at least 24 hrs before slicing the cake.

All-Spice Powder

  • Take all the ingredients listed under the All-Spice powder ingredients and mix well. Store in an air tight container.

Notes

Recipe Note: To get a rich and dark Christmas cake, you need to bake it at least 15 days prior to Christmas. And feed it a little drizzle of spiced rum every week until Christmas.
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Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Bengali Food Blog, Cake, Cake Photography, Cakes, Christmas, Christmas Food Photography, Christmas Fruit Cake, Christmas Plum Cake, Christmas Recipes, Desserts, Food Blogger, Food Photography, Fruit Cake, Indian Food Photography

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ronak Mehta

    October 1, 2020 at 4:20 am

    I tried out cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Ankana Goswami

    December 21, 2019 at 4:49 am

    Can it be done in oven?

    Reply
    • Maumita Paul

      December 21, 2019 at 5:11 am

      Ankana, it is done in the oven only 🙂

      Reply
  3. Monideepa

    December 26, 2018 at 7:20 am

    Whenever I bake, the above surface burns but the inside remains uncooked..what could be the probable reason??

    Reply
    • Maumita Paul

      December 29, 2018 at 7:18 am

      Hi Monideepa, well that depends on a number of facts. Probably you are baking at a quite high temperature than needed or the heating of your oven in not uniform. Could be any of these.
      If you let me know the baking temperature and little bit more information on your baking process, it’ll be easier for me to explain. Many thanks !

      Reply

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Hello!! I am Maumita and welcome to Experiences of a Gastronomad.
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Maumita Paul
Nothing more hearty than phulkopir singara and a c Nothing more hearty than phulkopir singara and a cup of masala  tea as the evenings get a tad bit colder !!! 
Any takers ? ❤️ .
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 #desi_diaries #storiesofkolkata #theuncommonbox #bengalifood #india_undiscovered @ig_calcutta @stories.of.kolkata #official_photography_hub #teatime #foodgasm #foodstyling #chai #foodphotography #homemade #ig_calcutta #eatseasonal @india_undiscovered @walkwithindia @tv_stilllife #tasteofkolkata #foodporn #gastronomad_m #foodtalkindia #walkwithindia #kolkatabuzz #indianshutterbugs #foodstylist #canonphotography #calcuttacacophony #onlyinbengal #snack #foodstories #acreativevisual #chai #singara #sundayvibes
Sankranti remains one of the festivals closest to Sankranti remains one of the festivals closest to my heart. 

One of those days when I miss Grandma dearly and yearn to return to childhood and relish all the delectable pithe puli she would make !!! 
Happy Sankranti everyone !!!

On the plate 
Khejur Gurer Patishapta, Doodhpuli, Teler Pitha, Nolen Gurer Payesh and Soru Chakuli.
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #makarsankranti #creatingmemories #foodthatheals
New blog post ❤️ And every year, around Sankr New blog post ❤️

And every year, around Sankranthi, the chitoi pithe moulds make a magical re-appearance from the hidden vaults of the windowless sunlight-starved and perennially musty and damp bhnaarar ghor (pantry), illuminated by a lone naked incandescent bulb, before being dusted, scrubbed, soaked, dried and then used in vehement anger for the Sankranti festivities, only to disappear once the euphoria of the harvest festival subsides.
A use and throw culture has still not invaded our lives and the fact that this rather inexpensive non-descript humble artifact is used on just a couple of occasions around Sankranti every year makes not an iota of difference to the magnanimous love and care it receives.
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To read more and try this recipe of Doodh Chitoi , direct link is there in bio. 
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #makarsankranti #creatingmemories #foodthatheals
Its less than a week to Sankranti and my kitchen i Its less than a week to Sankranti and my kitchen is in manic frenzy this morning steaming some stunning Bhapa Pitha. 

I have always preferred freshly ground rice flour to store-bought ones. And my hand-free 1400w hamiltonbeach JMG ensured the rice was ground to fine flour, just as I wanted it, in a blink .
(Also do check the coarse, medium and fine grinding options available which gives us such luxury of choice -  I opted for the fine option for the rice flour)

And  here’s my recipe for the quintessential Bengali Bhapa Pitha / Assamese Keteli Pitha. 
Soak the rice for 2 hours, drain from water. 
Allow the rice to dry over a newspaper or muslin cloth to drain any excess water. 
Use your Hamiltonbeach JMG to blitz the rice to a fine powder.
Transfer the rice flour to a bowl, add a pinch of salt, mix well.
Splash a little water to the rice flour, start mixing with your hand. The texture of the dough should be crumbly and just damp enough. Splash water in small increments, we don’t want a wet batter here.
Sieve the moist flour .
Take a kettle, fill it half with water and bring to a boil.
Wrap the lid of the kettle with a damp muslin cloth.
Spread a layer of the rice flour uniformly over the cloth.
Add 1 tsp of freshly grated coconut on the rice flour, followed by 1 tsp of chopped jaggery And finish it with another layer of rice flour. Press gently, take care to not press it too hard.
Wrap with another piece of moist muslin, put the lid back on over the boiling water.
Steam for 10-12 minutes.
Carefully remove the lid from the kettle. 
Gently remove the outer muslin cloth. Use a sharp knife along the edges of the lid to un-mould the pitha..
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#BigBoxOfLove

#SayToHelloPerfection #ProResultsAtHome #HamiltonBeachIndia #CookLikeAPro #fbciofficial

@hamiltonbeachindia, @fbciofficial @grainandgrowth .
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #glutenfree #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #sankranti
The Doulla Pithe that Grandma (Bamma) creates is s The Doulla Pithe that Grandma (Bamma) creates is sheer magic – Pillowy rice flour parcels with a tiny morsel of patali hidden in the center. Stewed in milk perfumed with even more patali gur.
Have a bite, Grandma coaxes.
And the molten patali bursts out of the shackles of the rice flour cocoon.
The fragrance of patali and the perfume of rice leave my palate enthralled.
I take another bite.
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If you want to try this , temporary recipe link is updated in bio ❤️
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #makarsankranti #creatingmemories #foodthatheals
Can I taste one ? I ask as Maa’s experienced han Can I taste one ? I ask as Maa’s experienced hands effortlessly remove the pithe from the oil and immerse them in the jaggery syrup, but even before Maa can warn me, I have snatched one and bitten into the gokul pithe.
My tongue is singed.
And for that odd moment, I am all numb.
Minutes, that feel like days, pass.
And then the taste sinks in, sublime, a mellifluous symphony of grated coconut and jaggery.
This is food heaven !!!
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To try  recipe, temporary recipe link is updated in bio ❤️
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #makarsankranti #creatingmemories #foodthatheals
Natorer Luchir Payesh!! A sandwich, if I can use t Natorer Luchir Payesh!!
A sandwich, if I can use the liberty of an analogy, of two luchis with a divine gurer kanchagolla filling in between. Fried to a gorgeous golden. And dipped into a notun gur perfumed payesh just before serving.
You do not want it soggy, Grandma would religiously remind Maa every time, that would ruin the fun of the dish.
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To try  recipe, temporary recipe link is updated in bio ❤️
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #makarsankranti #creatingmemories #foodthatheals
This is the story of Grandma. And her fierce love This is the story of Grandma. And her fierce love for rice. Not just rice, any new harvest. Any fresh produce of the soil. Her soil. As she would proudly assert.
Wasting rice in our growing-up years was never an option. Not even a single grain. This is the labour of love. She would remind Dada and me whenever we fussed about food. This is the culmination of months of back-breaking labour. Respect the grain. Respect the farmer.

Cut to the present. My chire has just arrived. Ordered online and delivered at the doorstep by a logistics company. I am blissfully ignorant of what rice went in to prepare this chire. And the farmer shall remain an unacquainted stranger to me. As would his family who possibly helped as well.
Food has reduced, I ruminate, to being impersonal, hasnt it, the consumer and the producer separated by more degrees than my mind can decipher. The price I guess for the comforts of modern life.
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To read more and  try chirer doodpuli , temporary recipe link is updated in bio ❤️
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #makarsankranti #creatingmemories #foodthatheals
Of late, Grandma would occasionally give in to sna Of late, Grandma would occasionally give in to snatches of emotional upheavals. Reminiscing more and more of her home in sylvan Sylhet.
Chachi was our neighbour. Born in Bikrampur near Dhaka. Married to a trader family in Sylhet. She brought with her to Sylhet the delectable Bibikhana Pitha from her home town. And every year she would lovingly welcome winter, the new harvest, the fragrant rice and the notun gur with her Bibikhana Pitha.
So here it is, the incredibly delicious Bibikhana Pitha. From Bikrampur in Bangladesh. 
Bliss !!! 
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If you want to try this recipe , temporary recipe link is updated in bio ❤️
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#dessert #sweettooth #storiesofkolkata #calcuttacacophony #foodphotography #acreativevisual #nostalgia #india_undiscovered #official_photography_hub #canonphotography #eeeeeats #foodblogfeed #photographers_of_india #theuncommonbox #foodie #eatseasonal  #gastronomad_m #foodphotography #tv_foodlovers #foodpornography #foodtalkindia #photooftheday #foodporn #sankranti #desi_diaries #capturingmagic #wearebengal #eatseasonal #winter  #cherishedmemories #glutenfree #creatingmemories

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