Plum cake with almond icing from The Lalit

As the month of December is knocking on the door, foodies in the city are looking forward to having some sinful Christmas goodies. The festival is all about cosy dinners, carol singing and gorging on a variety of cakes.

While we enjoy the melt-in-mouth cakes, the patisserie chefs will tell you that there is plenty of hardwork involved in baking the perfect one. The preparations start almost a month in advance.
The first step towards making the cake is the mixing process, formally called the “Cake-mixing ceremony”. “Christmas cake- mixing marks the beginning of the festive season and allows liquor (rum and brandy) to get absorbed in the cake mix, which has select specialties of candied fruits and fruit peels blended beautifully with assorted nuts,” says Willi Haueter, executive chef, The Imperial. Mounds of brown dates, black raisins, red cherries, cashew nuts, topped with powdered cloves, lemon peel, orange peel, dry figs, walnuts, black currents with bottles of liquor and wines are poured into the fruits and mixed.
Talking about the tradition of cake-mixing at Radison Blu hotel, Paschim Vihar, pastry chef, Manoj Kumar Semwal says, “During the cake-mixing, chefs along with some invited guests get together to be a part of this traditional ceremony. We soak chopped dry fruits, black current, tutti fruiti, cashewnuts and some spices in liquor to give a distinct aroma to the cakes.”
The tradition of cake-mixing dates back to 16th century England. The ceremony marked the arrival of the harvest season. “The Brits would eat porridge on Christmas eve to end a day of fasting. As time went by dried fruits, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, which eventually developed into the famous Christmas pudding. It was later that butter, flour and eggs replaced porridge oatmeal to create plum cake,” explains Jennifer Duthie, founder, Bake Box.
“Christmas cakes are made in many different ways, but generally they are variations of the classic fruitcake. They can be light, dark, moist, spongy, leavened or unleavened. They are made in different shapes, with frosting, glazing, a dusting of confectioner’s sugar or just plain,” says Nasim Delvi, executive pastry chef, The Lalit
As pastry chefs in city get busy, all you need to do is sit back and wait for that perfect cake!

Jamaican fruit cake
Ingredients
1 lb butter softened
1 lb dark brown sugar
1 dozen eggs
1 lb flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
1/3 cup rum
2 cups fruit mixture (lemon and orange rind)
1 lb prunes
1 lb raisins
1 lb currants
1 lb cherries
(1 lb is approximately 58 grams)
Method:
In a large bowl, whisk cream, butter and sugar together until pale yellow. Add two eggs at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and burnt sugar.
In a medium bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Add slowly to the large bowl, mixing well.
Add about 2 cups of the fruit mixture (details given later). Mix well. Pour into well greased and floured cake tins.
Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.
Once the cake is cooled, pour approximately 1/4 cup of rum over it. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Continue pouring rum for a month, whenever the cake looks dry. Serve it warm.
Fruit Mixture process:
Chop the fruits and put into a jar. Cover the contents with rum and seal the jar. Keep in a cool, dark place for atleast a month.