CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKES FOR THE SEASON

       CHRISTMAS - a Season filled with Colours, Celebration & good food.  Most of us would have been getting ready for the Season with our own fares for Christmas.  Maybe it is with presents, decorations or with food - Roasted Turkeys, Baked Potatoes, Christmas Cakes, Puddings, Cookies, Truffles etc., When the Season begins, I usually get ready with the preparation for Cake & Wine.  Winemaking starts months before Christmas and as for Cakes, I start a month before by soaking the dry fruits in my home-made Wine. No festival, family function or celebration is complete without these Fruit Cakes in our family,  We start the celebration by toasting a homemade Wine and a piece of Fruit Cake.
     Fruit Cakes have a rich heritage and an age-old history, it has been a custom of preparing and consuming this cake from time immemorial.  The rich tradition and heritage along with its rich taste have made it a treasured Christmas treat in Christmas and New Year Season. Fruit Cakes are traditionally made with chopped Candied Peels, Dry Fruits, Nuts and Mild Spices.  Some recipes call for dry fruits and nuts soaked in spirits like Brandy/Whiskey/Rum/Wine. A cake which has fruits in it has come to be called Fruit Cake. Christmas Fruit Cake/Plum Cake is so synonymous to Christmas Treats around the world. And mostly these cakes are also served during Weddings and celebrations. It is colloquially called by the name Plum Cake in Kerala.

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      I have given three different versions of Fruit Cake which suits to be baked for the Season.  A Rich Fruit Cake Recipe which I usually make, a tried & tested recipe. Another one is my MIL's classic Christmas Pound Cake which is our family recipe.  These Fruit Cake Recipes can be made with alcohol or as a no-booze Fruit Cake.  And the next recipe is a Light Fruit Cake Recipe which suits to people who do not prefer rich Fruit Cakes. The first step starts with soaking the dry fruits in Alcohol/Orange Juice/Tea.


    

HOW TO SOAK DRY FRUITS FOR CHRISTMAS CAKE

HOW TO SOAK DRY FRUITS FOR CHRISTMAS CAKE

      Traditional Christmas Cakes have a lot of pre-soaked fruits in alcohols like Rum, Vodka, Brandy, Wine etc.,  Rich Fruit Cakes can be prepared in a Boozy, Non-Boozy, Citrusy or even can be flavoured with Tea.  So many versions & varieties to suit the glitter and glamour of the so-called Festive Season. I soak the Dry Fruits for the Christmas Cake with my homemade Wines at least a month before. Initially, I started soaking the dry fruits in fresh Orange Juice, then gradually tried my hand with Wines.  But yet to try with Rum/Brandy/Vodka.
      If you are in short of time, no worries soak the dry fruit just a day before preparing the Christmas Fruit Cake.  As such there are no strict rules in what type of dry fruits/nuts/spices we use, the soaker, soaking duration and method of preparation.  It all goes with your whims and fancies. Above all convert it to suit your preference and adjust along with your time constraint.  What we need is a good Christmas Fruit Cake which tastes and feels good for the Season.
For a detailed step by step process on HOW TO SOAK DRY FRUITS FOR CHRISTMAS CAKES, Click here...  

     

CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKES FOR THE SEASON

RICH CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE/KERALA PLUM CAKE

RICH CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE/KERALA PLUM CAKE

      According to me, Christmas treats should still have the holiday flavours & colours sticking on to the tradition.  So I stick onto the family tradition making our all-time favourite Christmas Fruit Cakes for the Season.  Mostly I bake these fruit cakes only during Christmas and I  would rather stick to a tried-and-tested recipe. This Rich Fruit Cake recipe is what I usually bake for Christmas and was perfected through the years.  The alcohol in the cakes ensures they can be kept longer and enhances the taste of the Fruit Cake.
     Whilst I stick onto certain family traditions like Caramelizing the Sugar to Dark Brown in colour for the Christmas Fruit Cake. This gives a dark colour and body to Cake.  You can get easy by adjusting the colour by Caramelizing the Sugar to your preference.   Christmas Fruit Cake/Kerala Plum Cake on its own is a tempting symbol of indulgence, lacing along and profoundly displaying the traditions.  Ready to knock you out with its taste, flavour, texture and aroma, making you addictive from every bite, this boozy cornucopia hides within itself layers of flavours, from dry fruits soaked in Raisin Wine, Nuts, Spices, Vanilla and Dark Caramel
     Try this wonderful recipe for this season and treat yourself with a sweet indulgence synonymous to Christmas.

For a detailed Recipe on RICH FRUIT CAKE/KERALA PLUM CAKE, Click here...

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS POUND CAKE

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS POUND CAKE

     Pound Cake is the oldest way of Baking a Cake that it date backs to the 1700s. Pound Cake the name itself holds the recipe within. Ok, why is it called a Pound Cake?  Let's get into the fact - a Pound of Flour, a pound of Butter, a Pound of Sugar and a Pound of Egg(Ya, you heard it right, a pound of Egg). So much of measurement for a cake!  That's literally too much!  No, the fact is that the measurement for every ingredient remains the same in a Pound Cake.  So the ratio lies in your hand. Take it as a Cup or a Kilo keep the ratio same for all the ingredients.  It sounds pretty simple.  A simple Pound Cake Recipe can be taken as a baseline and converted into quite a lot of variations.  Convert it into Chocolatey Chocolate Cakes, Rich Fruit Cakes, Flavoured cakes like Vanilla/Strawberry/Pandan/Banana, Citrusy Cakes with Orange/Lemon... the sky is limit when it comes to the twist of flavours while baking a Pound Cake.  It is a foolproof recipe.
     But what I like the most about a Pound Cake is how successful it is at liberating the amateur baker from the strict rules of recipes. I literally started my baking with a Pound Cake Recipe.  My MIL's cake recipe for every flavour, a simple Vanilla Cake/ a Chocolate Cake and her default traditional Kerala Plum Cake, for all of the Cake Recipes she follows the Pound Cake formula. Simple, yet rich and moist.  This Classic Christmas Pound Cake is our family recipe & my MIL's speciality.
     Classic Christmas Cake camouflaged with a simple Pound Cake Recipe converts the traditional cake into a simple baking task. 


For a detailed Recipe on CLASSIC CHRISTMAS POUND CAKE, Click here...

LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

     This Light Fruit Cake Recipe is an absolute treat with a blend of flavours, rich, moist and a wonderful combination of colour & taste in it.  If you dislike Rich Fruit Cake, perhaps you should try this Light Fruit Cake. It will change your mind about your distaste for Fruit Cakes.
    Fruit Cakes come into the limelight during Christmas, Weddings, Christening and if you are in a mood for a lighter version of Fruit Cakes for certain occasion, this Light Fruit Cake comes handy. This is slightly different from the Traditional dark & rich Fruit Cake.  Most of the recipe remains the same except for that, we do not add Caramel in this Light Fruit Cake and as the name calls for LIGHT FRUIT CAKE -  we try to keep most of the steps to make this cake light or all the more light coloured.  You can also prepare the recipe, by not adding spices if you do not prefer to.
     In this Light Fruit Cake recipe, I have used Brown Sugar as I like my Light Fruit Cake to be in light golden brown in colour, can substitute it with White Sugar/Castor Sugar. Light Fruit Cakes prepared with White Sugar yields light coloured cake.  Also, I have not soaked the Dry Fruits in Alcohol/Orange Juice, but have used Orange Juice to alternate between the dry ingredients while mixing the Light Fruit Cake Batter. Alternatively can soak the Dry Fruits in Light Coloured Wine for overnight or up to weeks or months.  I have used Light Coloured Dry Fruits like Golden Raisins, Dried Apricot, Peaches, Tutti Frutti, Dried Cranberries and Nuts like Cashew nuts & Walnuts.  Dust the Chopped Dry Fruits and Nuts in the Flour used to bake the Cake, this avoids the ingredients getting sunk to the bottom of the cake.

For a detailed Recipe on LIGHT FRUIT CAKE, Click here...

     Enjoy the Season with Food & Wine, when it comes to Cakes and Desserts, human mind rejuvenates instantly.  Here is a cake, which is perfect for the season - Light & yet it fits into the Seasonal module.



 

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL SYRUP

     I think recently I have been using the phrase 'Homemade/How to Make' a lot.  Few recipes which suited the Season, and making the ingredients from Scratch for my Christmas Cake gave me a thrill. Anyway, this is a quick recipe of an easy Caramel Syrup that can be used to add huge amounts of flavour to baked goods and beverages.  As we are in a festive mood with Christmas nearing by, I felt I had to stock up few items which would make my Fruit Cake making an easy task with the much-needed flavour, texture & aroma.  Writing about Caramel Syrup during the Season seemed to be just & must, as I have had quite a lot of mishaps while making Caramel during my early days of cooking.  I have ended up with Burnt, Crystallized, Lumpy Caramel Syrups during my attempts.  It took time and a few experienced techniques from an expert cook before I perfected it.
     I would suggest not to confuse Caramel Syrup with Caramel Sauce, which has cream added into it after cooking.  And it is not Butterscotch too, which is made by adding Cream & Butter to Caramel. This recipe is for a Simple Caramel Syrup - clear, deep flavoured, translucent golden or slightly dark brown in colour. As for Western Baking they use Golden Syrup/Treacle to add fullness and colour to Traditional Christmas Cake, our family tradition calls for adding Caramel Syrup while making Rich Fruit Cakes. And our family norm fixed by my MIL's Mother, Clemmie Thaathi, is that the Caramel Syrup should be dark brown in colour while using it for Christmas Fruit Cakes. Caramelize the Sugar to your preferred colour choice - golden amber to golden brown to dark brown. Certain recipes call for certain Colours & level of Caramelization. But the basic cooking method remains the same.
     This Golden coloured Caramel Syrup could be poured over Pancakes and French Toasts. It can even be drizzled over Pop Corns. It can be added to your favourite coffee or tea for a perfect Caramel Latte. Try to be bold and adventurous and use it in place of simple syrup when you’re preparing a Cocktail. You may need it even while making certain Wines like Ginger Wine, which would give the colour & body to the Wines.  This Caramel Syrup exceptionally gorgeous when drizzled over cakes or Puddings. This is a basic Caramel Syrup you may need while making Creme Caramel/Caramel Pudding. Darken it up slightly to brown/dark brown as per your preference to add colour & body to your Traditional Christmas Fruit Cakes.


Recipe Type - Caramel Syrup
Difficulty - Medium
Author - SM


Preparation Time - 5 Minutes
Cooking Time - 10-15 Minutes

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL SYRUP

HOW TO MAKE CARAMEL SYRUP

INGREDIENTS:

For Caramel Syrup:

Sugar - 1 Cup
Water - 2 Tablespoons
Warm Water - 1/2 Cup

METHOD:

• In a heavy-bottomed pan, combine 1 Cup of Sugar & 2 Tablespoons of Water.
• Heat it & let the sugar melt on a medium flame. Do not stir.
• Allow the mixture to continue cooking over high heat, WITHOUT STIRRING, until it has reduced slightly and become GOLDEN AMBER in colour.
• Or wait until the colour of the caramelized Sugar becomes GOLDEN BROWN to DARK BROWN. (If using it for Christmas Fruit Cakes).
• Meanwhile, warm up 1/2 Cup of Water. Do not boil.
• Remove the caramelized sugar from the fire and slowly (carefully) pour in the warm water into it.
• Place the pan over the flame again and boil it on a medium flame for about 5 minutes.
• Switch off the flame and allow it to cool.
• Transfer the Caramel Syrup into Clean airtight bottles.
• If covered and stored properly in a refrigerator, the Caramel Syrup will stay good for a longer period.

NOTES:

• Caramelize the Sugar to your preferred colour choice - golden amber to golden brown to dark brown.
• I have used White Sugar in the recipe.  For a bolder colour, choice can use Brown Sugar.
• At the initial stage, do not stir Sugar and Water.
• Do the whole process on a medium flame.
• Carefully pour warm water into the caramelized sugar. Do not use hot water or cold water for the purpose.
• Utter care should be taken while pouring the warm water into the caramelized sugar, as the liquid may splash and cause burns.
• Caramel can be prepared earlier and refrigerated.
• Stays good for a longer period if stored properly in a refrigerator.

HOW TO MAKE CANDIED ORANGE PEELS

     Most of the Traditional Christmas Cakes, Puddings, Cookies call for Candied Citrus Peels. Simmer a few Orange/Lemon Peels in Sugar Syrup and there you go with flavourful Homemade Candied Peels. All you need is just a few Orange/Lemon/Grape fruit Peels, a bit of time & patience.  It is so easy to make and much more flavourful than the store-bought Candied Peels.  I even felt that the homemade Candied Peels aren't bitter and had a complete essence of citrusy notes captured in it.   And if you are so intent on capturing as much flavour as possible in your recipes and mindful of preserving fresh fruits in the most possible way, then never ever throw away the Orange/Lemon Peels. You can easily preserve it by candying the peels,  drying it up and use it up in for baking or snacking.
     Mixed Peels/Candied Peels are one popular ingredient in British Baking.  It is nothing but Candied Orange/Lemon/Grapefruit Peels.  These candied peels give the needed intense Citrusy flavour to the dish it is added into.  I love the brightness and the aroma of these Candied Peels.  But the store-bought ones always end up with a note of bitterness.  So I was sceptical & used very less amount of Candied Peels while baking Fruit Cakes.
      Whenever Oranges are in abundance in the market (during Lunar New Year), I always end up thinking I should make Candied Peels.  But the lazy bone in me procrastinated the idea and somehow I have come to a juncture I made it at last. But to my wonder homemade Candied Peels didn't have the nasty bitterness, but had a lovely fragrance of sharp citrus.  The Candied Orange peels were Sweet, flavourful treat perfect for adding into Christmas Fruit Cakes, Puddings, Cookies & Muffins. It was worth the effort. I could even eat some Homemade Candied Peels as such.


Recipe Type - Candied Fruits
Difficulty - Medium
Author - SM


Preparation Time - 15-20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30-45 Minutes 
Soaking Time - 12-15 Hours/ Overnight

HOW TO MAKE CANDIED ORANGE PEELS

HOW TO MAKE CANDIED ORANGE PEELS

INGREDIENTS:

To Cook the Orange Peels:

Orange Peels - 3 Cups
Water - as Required

For Candied Orange Peels:

Sugar - 2 Cups
Water - 1-11/2 Cups

METHOD:

• Peel the Oranges, trim off the white (pith) from the underside of the peel. 
• Chop the peels into small cubes & Keep it aside.
• I used about 3 Cups of Orange Peels.
• Boil enough of Water in a pan. Once it starts to boil, add chopped Orange Peels.
• Boil it on a medium-low flame for about 3-5 Minutes. 
• Switch off the flame, discard and drain the water.  Reserve the blanched Orange Peels.
• Repeat the process 3 more times.
• This helps to get rid of the bitterness in the Orange Peels.
• The Orange Peels should change colour and should have turned translucent
• Drain the Orange Peels in a Colander and keep it aside.
• Meanwhile,  Boil 2 Cups of  Sugar in 11/2 Cups of Water in a pan. 
• Boil the Sugar Syrup on a medium-low flame.
• Once Sugar is completely dissolved and it reaches one-string consistency, add the Orange Peels into the Sugar Syrup. 
• Cook this on a medium-low flame for about 12-15 Minutes until the Orange Peels are cooked and it has absorbed most of the Sugar Syrup.
• The mixture would start to slightly thicken up at this stage(sugar syrup shouldn't get crystallized).
• I cooked until the Sugar Syrup got completely absorbed by the Orange Peels.
• If there is any extra Sugar Syrup, drain it well through a colander.
• Leave it aside in a wire rack to dry for 12-15 hours/overnight.
• Candied Orange Peels would have absorbed the Sweetness and would have turned dry.
• Soak it up in a Paper Towel for a few minutes if you feel the Candied Orange Peels to be moist.
• Mine was totally dry and had the perfect texture.
• Store it up in clean Airtight containers.
• For longer shelf life, store it in a refrigerator.
• Can use it in Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Buns, Bread Loaves, Ice creams etc., 

For a detailed Recipe on HOW TO SOAK DRY FRUITS FOR CHRISTMAS CAKE, Click here...

HOW TO MAKE CANDIED ORANGE PEELS

NOTES:

• I have used the Peels of Navel Oranges.
• Can prepare Candied Peels with Lemon Peels, Grapefruit Peels etc.,
• I cooked until the Sugar Syrup got completely absorbed by the Orange Peels.
• If there is any extra Sugar Syrup, drain it well through a colander.
• Save the Syrup & use in cakes, sauces and drinks. Goes well while making Teas.
• Candied Orange Peels are best the first week or two after they are made, as they have most of the citrusy flavours afresh in them.
• Stays good stored at room temperature in an airtight container. 
• Candied Orange Peels can be stored for up to 3-4 Months in the refrigerator, although they may get dried out if kept longer. 
• If they get dried up, soak it in hot water or orange liqueur, until soft.
• I have made this Candied Peel for baking purpose.
• Alternatively, if you are using the Candied Peels as a SNACK. Strain and dredge the peels in finely granulated Sugar and place them on a rack to dry overnight. 
• And Cut the Orange/Lemon Peels into thin strips rather than chopping it into tiny cubes. 
• Place the Candied Peels on a rack to let dry overnight and dip them in melted chocolate for yet an another tasty nibble.

RICH FRUIT CAKE/KERALA PLUM CAKE

LIGHT FRUIT CAKE

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS POUND CAKE

TUTTI FRUTTI ICE CREAM

BUTTER COOKIES

     A few weeks back my daughter surprised me with this wonderful Butter Cookies.  She is into a lot of baking these days that she is coming up with incredible Loaves of Bread, Buns, Cookies etc., & etc.,  When it comes to cookies it had always been Chocolate Chip Cookies.  And me, who is not a big fan of Chocolates, always end up asking her to make something without chocolates/cocoa for me. So these Cookies came to me as a surprise early in the morning when I opened the Kitchen doors along with a note. I was totally impressed and above all the cookies were so good that I finished a lot of Cookies within no time along with my Morning Coffee.
    Frankly, I was the one who ate most of it.  And before it got over, I clicked a few pictures and got the recipe from her. I am writing this post with all small details and instructions my daughter followed while baking these Butter Cookies. Above all, she instructed me to strictly adhere to her instructions and write them without missing any step. My Daughter is a STRICT APPICER!!!