Rich Fruit Cake/Plum Cake/Christmas Cake

I know its early but lets make a Christmas Cake today!!!!

Ingredients

All Purpose flour/Maida: 1 Cup + 3 Table Spoon
Soaked fruits & nuts: 1½  Cup (Refer Notes)
Sugar: 1 Cup + ½ Cup
Water: 1/4 Cup
Egg: 3
Butter: 3/4 Cup
Spice mix: 1 Clove+1 Cardamom + 1 Small Piece Cinnamon, Dry Ginger(Chukk) and Nutmeg + 1 Pinch  Shajeera (Sajeerakam)
Baking Powder: 1 Tea Spoon
Vanilla Essence: 1 Tea Spoon

Orange / Lime Peel : 1 Tea Spoon

Cooking Time: 55 minutes
Method

Preheat the oven at 170C
Prepare a 9 inch  cake tin by spreading a little butter all around the tin and then add little flour and spread it to all sides uniformly.  Knock off the excess flour
Grind together the spice mix adding little sugar and keep aside
To a pan add 1/2 cup of sugar and switch on the flame. Keep on medium flame and let the sugar caramelize.

Once done add 1/4 cup of water. Be very careful while doing this as the water might splash and burn your hands
You will notice the caramelized sugar will harden.

Keep it back on flame and let it boil until the hardened caramelized sugar dissolves completely.  Now you will get the caramel syrup

Let this cool well before adding to the cake batter
Combine 1 cup maida, baking powder and ground spice mix and keep aside

Drain off excess alcohol or orange juice from the soaked fruits and nuts

Add 3 table spoon of flour to the fruit mix and coat it well.

You can reserve 3 to 4 table spoon of the drained liquid to be used in the cake batter (Optional)
Beat butter and sugar until it becomes smooth
Add 1 egg at a time and beat until light and fluffy

Add vanilla essence, orange or lime peel and combine.
Fold in the flour mix in batches along with the caramel syrup and the reserved drained syrup (if using )and make the cake batter. Do not add too much of liquid as you need a thick cake batter.  

Fold in well without any lumps and make a smooth batter

Now add the fruit and nut mix and fold in well

Do not beat using a hand mixer at this stage.  Use a spoon or wooden spatula to fold in the batter

Pour the batter to a prepared cake tin and level it well using a spoon.

Sprinkle some soaked dry fruits and nuts on top (Optional) and bake at 170 C for 50 to 55 minutes

Start checking your cake at around 40 minutes

If you feel that the top of the cake is getting over browned, cover it loosely with aluminium foil and then bake the rest of the time

Insert a wooden skewer in the middle and check. If it comes out clean then the cake is ready
Take it out of the oven and let it cool for some time.

Once it cools a bit remove from cake tin and allow to cool well

You can serve the cake just plain or if you wish to can do some frosting or icing or dust it with some powdered sugar and serve

Note:
Baking time may vary depending on the oven, so adjust it accordingly
To know more about soaking dry fruits and nuts for cake Click here
You can increase or decrease the amount of soaked fruits and nuts as per your choice.