Soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake in Rum or Wine ahead of time aid in the best ever Christmas fruits cake. We soak dry fruits and candied fruits in liquor for a boozy Christmas fruit cake.
It's December it's the season of Cakes and Bakes. My kitchen smells heavenly since the first day of December. Every alternate day I do some baking and this is like a tradition last six years.
Of course definitely the star of the Season the Christmas Plum Cake is on cards. After I started baking , I always do my homemade plum cake to distribute to friends and family.
This boozy Rich Plum Cake is so rich and decadent with lots of dry fruits and Nuts. Some prep work is definitely needed for the cake. In this post, I will be sharing the traditional way of soaking dry fruits in Rum.
Jump to:
Soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake
There is no hard and fast rule on the ingredients added. We can add all our favorite dry fruits . Try adding as per your availability. Soaking dry fruits for Christmas cake is like a tradition I follow every year and I felt like documenting the same as it might help some new bakers.
We usually soak only dry fruits in any liquor like Rum or Brandy. The dry fruits soak and plump up in the juice of Rum. This is the traditional Christmas fruit soaking.
I always use Rum for soaking dry fruits. We can also use brandy or Wine . For a non alcoholic version Orange or Grape Juice can be used for soaking the dry fruits.
Ingredients
Dry Fruits - Use good quality clean dry fruits for soaking. Usually more Raisins and Tutti frutti are used. I usually use raisins both black and golden , cherries, tutti fruiti. Depending on the availability of other dry fruits like candied orange , ginger i use them as well.
Nuts - We can add more chopped nuts while making cake. For soaking i use equal portions of chopped Cashew, Almonds and Walnuts.
Liquor - I use Old Monk Rum for soaking. You may use your favorite ones.
When to Soak the dry Fruits for Christmas Cake
The soaking time can be from 6 months to 1 day. Worst case you can also soak for 30 mins and microwave for 1 min. It helps the dry fruits to plump up and drink the juice.
However, the main tip is to mix in the dry fruits once every two or three days when soaking for a longer period. You can soak in Rum, Brandy, or Wine. If you do not want to use liquor you can also soak the dry fruits in Orange juice or grape juice.
Traditionally we soak the dry fruits in Rum for the Christmas fruits cake.
How to soak dry fruits for Christmas cake
1) Chop the dry fruits into equally sized pieces. This helps in a homogenous ( even ) baking when adding the soaked dry fruits to the cake and prevent from crumbling. This is a very important step before soaking the fruits in liquor.
2) Add the chopped dry fruits in to a glass jar that is used for soaking. Use only glass or ceramic jars for soaking. I am using Tutti frutti, golden raisins, black raisins ,cherries, candied ginger.
3) Next add evenly chopped nuts. I am using Cashew, Almonds and Walnuts.
4) Shake the jar well such that the dry fruits and nuts are mixed evenly.
5) Now add the Rum. Add until all the dry fruits are soaked and the Rum stays 1 inch above that.
6) The dry fruits plump up after getting soaked in the liquor. Check after 2 days and if the rum has been soaked completely , top up the glass jar with more rum. Continue this process after every 2 days. Also make sure you give a mix to the soaked dry fruits and nuts once in every two days.
Expert Tips
- Always use only dry fruits for soaking in the liquor. Soaking nuts is optional, But we can include them as well
- Dry fruits will absorb the liquor and get plumped up.
- Always chop the dry fruits into equal-sized pieces and then soak.
- While the dry fruits are soaking. Mix with a clean spoon after every two days .
- You can soak up to 6 months or even more. More the merrier. But handle it clean and mix or shake the jar after every two days.
- Store in a sterilized container and place it in a warm place.
- If you see the liquor level has reduced after soaking you can add more.
FAQ's
We can soak in all possible dry fruits for the Christmas fruit cake. We usually add Raisins, Black currants, Candied orange peel, Candied ginger, Tutti frutti, Cherries. Along with this, we can add any candied fruits or dry fruits.
Traditionally we use Rum for soaking fry fruits. However we can also use a mix of Rum and Brandy or even Wine. For a non alcoholic version Orange or Grape juice works well.
In my opinion Rum is the best alcohol to soak fruit for Christmas cake
We can soak the dry fruits in liquor for 2-3 months. I have also soaked for 6 months it comes good. The more the merrier , you get an intense flavor in the cake. If you have less time you can try soaking for at least 2 weeks before you bake. Always store in a cool and dark place without any disturbance for best results.
Its always good to chop the dry fruits into equal sized pieces before soaking them in alcohol. This helps in even soaking and uniform baking. This also prevents the cake from crumbing as we slice. Bigger chunks of dry fruits like Cherries or any candied fruits in cake will make the cake crumble while we slice the cake.
Christmas Fruit Cake Recipes
★ Did you enjoy this recipe? If you happen to try it out, I would love to hear from you! I’d appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review below in the comments. Your reviews help others know the recipe better too. Thanks for your time. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube and Twitter for more updates
📖 Recipe
How to soak dry fruits for Christmas cake
Standard 1 cup measures 240 ml
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rum or as needed
- 50 gms Candied Ginger
- 50 gms Orange Peel
- 200 gms Tutti Frutti
- 100 gms Cherry
- 200 gms Raisins Mix of both black and golden
Nuts
- ½ cup Cashew nuts
- ½ cup Walnuts
- ½ cup Almonds
Instructions
- Chop the dry fruits into equally sized pieces. This helps in a homogenous ( even ) baking when adding the soaked dry fruits to the cake and prevent from crumbling. This is a very important step before soaking the fruits in liquor.
- Add the chopped dry fruits in to a glass jar that is used for soaking. Use only glass or ceramic jars for soaking. I am using Tutti frutti, golden raisins, black raisins ,cherries, candied ginger.
- Next add evenly chopped nuts. I am using Cashew, Almonds and Walnuts.
- Shake the jar well such that the dry fruits and nuts are mixed evenly.
- Now add the Rum. Add until all the dry fruits are soaked and the Rum stays 1 inch above that.
- The dry fruits plump up after getting soaked in the liquor. Check after 2 days and if the rum has been soaked completely , top up the glass jar with more rum. Continue this process after every 2 days. Also make sure you give a mix to the soaked dry fruits and nuts once in every two days.
Notes
- Always use only dry fruits for soaking in the liquor. Soaking nuts is optional, But we can include them as well
- Dry fruits will absorb the liquor and get plumped up.
- Always chop the dry fruits into equal-sized pieces and then soak.
- While the dry fruits are soaking. Mix with a clean spoon after every two days .
- You can soak up to 6 months or even more. More the merrier. But handle it clean and mix or shake the jar after every two days.
- Store in a sterilized container and place it in a warm place.
- If you see the liquor level has reduced after soaking you can add more.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist , the nutrition value provided here is an estimate. It will vary based on the quantity and brands of the products used.
Note: This post is originally from 2000. I have updated with new Recipe card, Pictures and details.
Leave a Reply