Christmas Fruit Cake

Christmas always reminds me of the fruit cake that my city's (Kolkata) then renowned bakery (Naoums) always made. Loads of fruits soaked in rum for months made into a cake. One word for it was YUM. This year I just decided to finally make it since in U.S.A. I have hardly come across that traditional fruit cake for christmas.

So here is to memories of Naoums my tribute to you:

Ingredients:

• Fruits (plums, raisins, apricots, crystalized ginger, apple, cherries, walnuts – optional)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup or 2 sticks butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup orange juice
• Real Plum Rum / Drak Rum / Rum artificial Flavor
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 2 Eggs

Direction:

• Chop to bite size pieces and soak fruits in ½ cup orange juice / dark rum / plum rum at least overnight or longer (for rum I would prefer soaking for almost a month)
• Preheat to oven to 350F and grease a baking pan and set aside
• Sift together flours , baking powder
• Blend together butter and sugar till soft and fluffy
• Add ½ cup oranje juice, eggs (rum additional if you making it with rum) and mix well. For virgin add artificial rum flavor if required.
• While letting the mixer run start adding flour slowly by a spoon and keep mixing till everything is mixed well and letting enough air to get in
• Stop the mixer and now with a spatula add the soaked fruits and mix well till all in incorporated
• Pour the mixture in a baking pan and bake for 2 hours or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Serve warm or stored.

Additional Steps for Rum Cakes:

•  Once out of oven poke some holes on the cake and brush some rum and molasses all over.
• Wrap is with a cheese cloth and then with a parchment paper and keep it for a day before serving.