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side shot of Christmas fruit cake on top of a cookie box
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5 from 3 votes

Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

Christmas Fruit Cake is a rich British style cake loaded with rum-soaked raisins, dry fruits, candied orange peel, ginger, and garam masala. Learn how to make best fruit cake in a few simple steps.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: -10
Calories: 538kcal
Author: Hina Gujral

Equipment

Ingredients

1 Cup = 250 ml

    Ingredients For Soaking Dried Fruits

    • 200 gram (1 Cup) dried tutti frutti (candied fruit)
    • 60 gram (¼ Cup) black seedless raisins, finely chopped
    • 60 gram golden raisins, finely chopped
    • 60 gram walnuts, finely chopped
    • 60 gram cashew, finely chopped
    • 25 gram candied ginger, finely chopped
    • 25 gram candied orange peels, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon Garam Masala ( see recipe here)
    • 1 Cup rum (alcoholic beverage)
    • ½ Cup red wine/brandy (optional)

    Ingredients for caramelised sugar:

    • ½ Cup granulated white sugar
    • ¼ Cup water, at room temperature

    Ingredients For The Cake Batter:

    • 125 gram (½ Cup) all-purpose flour (maida)
    • 125 gram unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 100 gram (⅓ Cup) granulated white sugar
    • 3 eggs, at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala ( see recipe here)
    • 1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)
    • 1 teasponn vanilla essence

    Ingredients For Decoration:

    • icing sugar or confectioner's sugar
    • glazed cherries or candied fruits

    Instructions

    How to soak to dry fruits and candied fruits in rum:

    • For soaking fruits, mix all the chopped candied fruits, dried fruits in a bowl. Pour in rum and, wine along with garam masala. Mix nicely and transfer to a clean airtight container. This can be done 1 month before or you can either do it one-two night before making the cake.

    How to make caramelised sugar:

    • Caramelize sugar before starting the cake and set it aside to cool down. In a pan on low heat, melt sugar slowly. It will first melt and then turn into a dark brown goop. Keep stirring and let it turn a deep dark caramel color. Don’t let it burn. Keep the flame on low, add about ¼ cup water and stay away because there will bubble and roar like a volcano eruption. 
    • The sugar will harden and form crystals. Slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve and keep stirring it. This will take around 10 mins. Let this cool and set aside. Do not worry about the consistency it will be like thick honey or molasses.
      caramelised sugar

    How to make christmas cake:

    • Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C. Line a round baking tin with parchment paper and grease sides well with butter. 
    • Sift the flour, baking powder, garam masala powder, and salt in a bowl.
    • Whisk the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color – about 10 minutes by the manual whisk, 3-4 mins with a hand mixer. Add rum essence, vanilla essence and mix until combined.
      Making batter for Christmas Cake
    • Add egg one at a time, beating each time for about 1 minute using a hand mixer.
      Making batter for Christmas Cake
    • Fold in the flour mixture one-third at a time and mix gently using a spatula. combine all the ingredients nicely to form a smooth cake batter.
      Making batter for Christmas Cake
    • Add the cooled caramel and the soaked dried fruits. Cut and fold the batter to evenly combine.
      Making batter for Christmas Cake
    • Pour cake batter into the greased cake tin. Tap once or twice on the kitchen counter to release any air trapped.
      Making batter for Christmas Cake
    • Bake for 55-60 minutes until the top turns into a dark brown color and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs. You can start checking from 45 minutes onwards. Usually, in our oven, it takes up to 60 minutes. The top will look like it’s overdone but don’t worry, make sure the inside is also completely cooked.
    • Once the cake cools down completely, brush it with some leftover rum and cover it with foil and leave it in the oven or some warm place overnight or until you need it. This way it has a nice matured flavor.
    • Dust the Christmas cake with the icing sugar before serving.
    • Store Christmas cake at room temperature for up to a month in an air-tight container.

    Notes

    • If you are not too keen on making caramelized sugar from scratch, use golden syrup or molasses of approximately 2 tablespoons.  
    • You can poke little holes in your cakes after it is done and pour some brandy-rum
      mix to get a richer, rummier cake with an extra kick.
    • The cake tastes best when it is made a few days before you intend to serve it. The flavors and the texture of the cake are more matured after a few days. Or you can bake it at night, and serve in the morning.
    • Store your cake wrapped in butter paper, and then in an airtight
      container.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 302mg | Potassium: 275mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 443IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg