Dark Fruit Cake – Rich Fruit Cake

East Indian dark fruit cake is so delicious and dense, it will tickle your taste buds. Serve this plum cake with raisins and dry fruit for Christmas lunch or dinner with some great homemade wine.

---

Dark fruit cake is a must for Christmas. This dense and moist plum cake with rum will bring a smile to your face. Any East Indian will tell you that almost every occasion is celebrated with cake, be it a christening, a communion, or a wedding, and of course, Easter and Christmas.

We have been baking with mom since we were schooling, and mom’s sweets or cakes are so yum, just like Mama’s used to be. Be it Nankhatais or Marzipan, or Vanilla cream or Walnut Fudge, Christmas would not be the same without them. It’s always fun when you have a lot of hands helping.

The preparation for this rich plum cake with rum begins months in advance when you soak the raisins in rum, knowing that Christmas is coming, what joy! And the rest of the process is here below, so read on, bake and let us know how your cake turns out…

What Ingredients do you need to make Dark Fruit Cake?

What you need to make Dark fruit cake is eggs, butter, sugar, all-purpose flour and semolina, baking powder, cherries, cashews, dates, rum-soaked raisin and rum-soaked orange peel, candied peel, spices, and cocoa powder, vanilla essence, and rum or brandy.

How to make Dark Fruit Cake?

Prep the Ingredients

Keep your dry fruits, cherries, and wet dates ready before you make the batter. Break the cashews into small pieces, cut the cherries into circular slices, and shred or chop the dates into smaller pieces as well. Dust them with flour and set them aside for later.

Also keep your rum-soaked raisins and orange peel ready. The ones below have been soaking in rum for about a year and that’s why they give it an awesome flavour.

Prepare Cake Batter

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites separately and beat the yolks separately and keep them aside.

Add the butter to a vessel and add in the sugar, then cream this mixture. The butter needs to be at room temperature. Once this is done, add in the beaten egg yolks and whites and mix.

After this add in the semolina or sojee and mix lightly. Then add in the cocoa powder and ground spices too. You get a lovely chocolaty batter with an awesome aroma.

Now mix the baking powder into the flour and then add it to the batter and mix lightly.

Next add in the flour-dusted cashew nuts, cherries, dates, rum-soaked raisins and orange peel, candied peel and mix together into the batter.

Pour the batter into lined tins and bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees Celsius or 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 55 mins.

Check with a toothpick, to see if it is ready. Poke the center of the cake with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready, if not, keep it in for a little while longer (5 to 10 mins) and check again.

While still warm remove from the oven and pour some rum or brandy with a teaspoon over the cake and allow it to soak. Wrap it up with cling film and store it till Christmas! Or put it in a closed cloche and keep feeding it alcohol every day.

Slice the cake and serve for Christmas. Doesn’t it look lovely!

Cooking Tips & Tricks

• Cut the cherries, break the cashew nuts, shred the dates and keep ready before you start with the batter.
• Ensure that the butter is at room temperature while making the batter.
• Mix the baking powder into the flour to get a better rise on the cake.
• We soak the raisins and orange peel in dark rum for almost a year or a few months. 
• Cocoa powder adds the dark rich colour to the cake. 

FAQ’s about Dark Fruit Cake

How Long Can You Store Dark Fruit Cake?

Dark Fruit Cake can be stored in a refrigerator in an air-tight container for about 6 months or in the freezer for about a year.

What Is The Difference Between Light And Dark Fruit Cake?

A dark fruit cake is richer and denser than a light fruit cake which does not have spices, rum-soaked raisins or caramel, and cocoa powder and alcohol.

Why Do You Soak Fruit Cake In Alcohol?

Other than adding to the flavor of the cake, the alcohol also acts as a preservative that helps to store the cake longer. We’ve stored rum and fruit cakes in the refrigerator for months.

What Is The Best Alcohol To Put In Fruit Cake?

Any alcohol with a strong flavor is good. That being said you can put any spirit of your preference like rum, brandy, whisky, or even liqueurs.

What Else Can I Make With Semolina/Rawa/Sojee?

You’ll love making snow balls, chocolate honey balls, bolings, borose cookies, sojee sweet, thalie sweet, carambolas, bol de coc, and many of our cakes.