Fruit cake is a matter of pride for many Indian Catholics. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding or spent a Christmas where people didn’t serve it. As soon as Christmas ends in December, people start soaking their raisins in large jars of Old Monk rum (an Indian brand of spiced rum available in America) for the following Christmas. This is my grandmother’s recipe, with a few modifications.
Start with a good-quality spiced rum you really enjoy, because it flavours the cake. Caramel lends both bittersweet notes and amber colour. The darker you cook your sugar, the deeper the colour.
Makes 12-14 servings
mixed raisins 210g
spiced rum 360ml
unsalted butter 1 tbsp, melted, plus 220g at room temperature
sugar 715g
water 120ml
cream of tartar ¼ tsp
all-purpose flour 500g
baking powder 1½ tsp
fine sea salt ½ tsp
candied ginger 110g, chopped
dried apricots or pineapples 100g, chopped
raw cashews 50g, chopped
large eggs 5, at room temperature
Put the raisins in a 1.5-litre clean, sterilised jar with a lid or a large resealable plastic bag. Warm the rum in a small saucepan over low heat until it just starts to simmer, and pour the rum over the raisins. Close the bag or seal the jar. Leave in a cool and dark place for at least 12 hours and up to one month. Shake the jar or bag occasionally to redistribute the raisins.
Preheat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2. Brush a 2.1-litre bundt pan with a tablespoon of melted butter, taking care to reach all the folds of the pan. Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar inside the pan and shake to coat evenly.
Heat 200g of the sugar, 60ml water, and the cream of tartar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Continue cooking, swirling the boiling sugar in the saucepan, until it turns a deep shade of brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining 60ml water to form a thick syrup, and let cool for about 30 minutes. If stiff, stir in two tablespoons of water.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Transfer 70g to a medium bowl. Drain the rum from the soaked raisins into a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, toss the raisins with the ginger, apricots, cashews, and the reserved 70g flour mixture, stirring to coat evenly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the remaining 220g butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, three to four minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly pour the warm caramel down the side of the mixer bowl in a thin stream. Beat until blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until combined; do not overbeat. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, beating after each addition until no visible streaks of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the flour-coated dried fruits and nuts.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for about 2½ to 3 hours, rotating the pan once during baking. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, or when the internal temperature is 99C. Remove the cake from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Check to see if the edges of the cake are pulling away from the sides of the pan. If not, use a butter knife to nudge the cake a little. Invert the cake, still in the pan, onto the rack and let stand for 5-10 minutes. To release the cake, tap the sides and top of the pan gently and remove. After 15 minutes, brush the cake with the reserved soaking rum. Cool completely before serving. The cake will keep, tightly wrapped in clingfilm, for up to one week at room temperature, and up to three weeks in the refrigerator. (You may want to drizzle the cake with a little more rum before serving.)
From Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food by Nik Sharma (Chronicle Books, £26)