Chocolate Fruit Cake

Here comes December!! I guess December is always welcomed with happiness. After all its a season of Joy, happiness & peace, right?? Yes, its Christmas season. When we hear the word Christmas so many things come to our mind like Christmas Tree, Crib, Midnight Mass and of course the fruit cake & wine.Usually the preparations for making fruit cake starts at least a month ahead. You need to soak fruits and stuff. In big bakeries & hotels, soaking of fruits is a grand ceremony, I remember seeing some pictures in the newspaper. However the fruit cake recipe below is a bit different.

“Ethenna avalose podiyil nutsum kismisum, aarenkilum avalose podiyil athokke edumo”?? (why there is nuts and raisins in avalose podi, nobody adds those in avalose podi). This was my amma’s reaction after seeing the avalose podi snap. She was surprised because in the traditional avalsoe recipe there are no nuts & raisins. The reason why I am saying this here is because you might also be wondering sometimes, after reading the title, what is this chocolate fruit cake? Who makes fruit cake with chocolate?

For me anyways, its completely new. I havent had any chocolate fruit cake before. For that matter, I started liking fruit cake only recently. I never used to enjoy fruit cake a few years ago. Back home, kids never used to like this cake. This was considered as an adult’s cake. Somehow these days I dont mind having it and also enjoying it.  Signs of becoming old ;)?

When I saw this recipe in the Australian Women’s Weekly Magazine, I was a little curious to try it. One another reason I was excited because this recipe doesnt call for any soaking of fruits in advance. So this is like a last minute Xmas cake. Now about the texture & taste of the cake…the cake is ultimately moist, has a very good fruity flavor and I think the chocolate flavor blended with it very well. The dark color of the cake comes from the chocolate & cocoa powder.

Hope you will also enjoy this cake.

Here is the recipe:

1. Butter – 125 gm, chopped
2. Brown sugar – 3/4 cup (150 gm)
3. Dark eating chocolate – 50gm, chopped coarsely
4. Water – 1/2 cup (125ml)
5. Dark rum – 1/4 cup (60 ml)
6. Walnuts – 1/4 cup (30 gm), coarsely chopped
   Dried currants – 1/2 cup (75 gm)
   Sultanas – 1 cup (160 gm)
   Raisins – 1 cup (170 gm), coarsely chopped
   Mixed peel – 1/4 cup (40gm)
7. Plain flour (maida) – 3/4 cup (110 gm)
8. Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp
9. Self – raising flour – 2 tbsp
10. Mixed spice – 1/2 tsp
11. Eggs – 2, beaten lightly (room temperature)
    For topping
12. Dark eating chocolate – 80 gm
    Sour cream – 1/4 cup (60 gm)

Preheat oven to 150 degree/275 -300 F. Grease 20 cm ring pan; line base with baking paper. Combine butter, sugar, chocolate and the water in medium saucepan; stir over heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat;  Let it cool for 10-15 mins. Stir in rum, nuts and fruit. Add sifted dry ingredients and egg; stir until combined. Spoon mixture into prepared pan.

Bake in slow oven about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan.

Just before serving, combine cooled extra chocolate and sour cream in small bowl; stir until smooth. Turn cake onto serving plate, top-side up; spread chocolate mixture over top of cake.

Serves 12

Notes: I made only half  of the above quantity. As usual I didn’t do the topping.  I used a 6 inch round cake tin and my cake was ready in 45-50 mins. You can use dry fruits of your choice. I used cashew nuts, dates, mixed dry fruits. I dusted the dry fruits with 1 tbsp of flour before adding it to the batter, this prevents the fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake. I used dark chocolate with 50 % cocoa. I used soft light brown sugar. I brushed the top of the warm cake with 2 tbsp extra rum. I used Captain Morgan rum in the cake batter and I used Bacardi rum for brushing the top of the cake. I stored the cake at room temperature for more than a week. If you want to store longer, refrigerate it.

Also check out the Christmas Menu in this blog.

Recipe source: Chocolate Cakes by The Australian Women’s Weekly

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