Christmas Cake - East Indian

Ingredients

Quantity	Measure	Ingredients	Description:
2	Tablespoon	Rum
100	Grams	Butter	1 Tablespoon extra required during winter period
2	Nos.	Eggs
100	Grams	Sugar, Table	powdered, (reduced 1 tablespoon)
1/2	Teaspoon	Baking Powder
1/8	Teaspoon	Soda bi-carbonate
1/2	Teaspoon	Vanilla Essence
100	Grams	Flour, Maida - (Refined)
200-300	Grams	Mixed Fruit
3	Tablespoon	Caramel	see separate recipe
100	Grams	Dates (Khajur)
50	Grams	Cherries
50	Grams	Preserve
1/2	Teaspoon	Nutmeg, Grated
50	Grams	Cashew Nuts	or Walnatus or cana
100	Grams	Plums

Method

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.   Add the beaten eggs, followed by 1 teaspoon flour go on doing this till all the egg is over and a little flour is left over.   Add fruits and caramel and the remaining flour alternatively. When mixing in fruit, mix it lightly (round the bowl and cut in the centre.)   Add cashew nuts last so that they do not change colour.   Empty this mixture into a well greased and lined baking tin (6" x 6"tin) and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.

Note - soak the mixed fruit in rum, such that it is covered well along with caramel, either a week or a month in advance, Store this is a glass/stainless steel container.   Once or twice a week stir-mix the contents. Do not soak the cashew nuts.

Caramel:
Make it thick, not watery.   Take about half cup of sugar in a sauce pan and heat it on a high-medium fire. Keep on shaking the pan wall so that no lumps of sugar are formed, nor the sugar is burnt. When the sugar becomes dark brown, put it down from the fire and add about half cup to the brown sugar. Keep on slow fire till it becomes thick and blackish. Cool completely, and use as required.