The Christmas fruit cake recipe, created by my mother Mrs Rachel Chacko, is a family staple for the festive season. It is included in her recipe compilation Mother’s Recipes: A Manual for Indian Daughters, a cookbook that she brought out when she was 90, 6 years ago. My memories of our Christmas celebrations are shared at https://elsatable.com/memories-of-christmas-celebrations/
* Fruits used should be a mix of raisins, walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, orange peel, and cherries. Cut the fruits finely and soak with a cup of brandy or rum for 2–3 days.
In a thick-bottomed pan, add the half cup of sugar for caramelisation. Heat gently till the sugar melts and changes to a light brown colour. Ensure it does not become too dark to avoid a burnt taste.
Powder the sugar (same weight as the eggs). Whisk the butter and sugar together till fluffy.
Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Add the yolks, one by one, to the butter and sugar mixture and beat after each addition. Add the caramelised sugar and mix well.
Sieve the flour with the nutmeg powder, baking powder, and salt twice. Add it along with the fruits to the mixture. The fruits should be smeared with a little flour so they don’t stick together or sink to the bottom of the cake when baked. Mix in vanilla essence.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly stir in the beaten egg whites in the mixture.
Pour the batter in a greased pan lined with butter paper. Bake in a medium hot oven (180°C) for 1.5 hours.
Room temperature
This cake becomes softer as it matures.
Halve the ingredients for a smaller cake. The eggs, butter, sugar, and flour should weigh the same and the fruits should be twice as much in weight as the eggs.
