Fruit cake represents the most traditional dessert, which embodies celebration and warmth. This fruit cake recipe shall ideally give you a delicious dessert to express those celebrations during holidays, during bonding moments with your family, or just to enjoy a sweet delight. Making fruit cake starts with mixing raisins, currants, and chopped dates as dried fruits that are washed using alcohol or fruit juice to release the flavour and the moist texture. In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until airy, light, and fluffed, then crack in the eggs one at a time into a good-textured mix; then, finally, fold in the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, to make an extravagant batter. The moistened fruits and chopped nuts like walnuts or almonds are added to the mixture very gently as they give bursts of flavour and texture to the cake. The batter is then poured into the greased cake tin and baked until it becomes golden brown, producing a moist, flavoursome cake that can be consumed fresh or aged for some weeks for the flavours to mature. It can be iced with marzipan or icing for a high-class finish. This fruit cake recipe tastes fantastic and is a great way to utilise leftover dried fruits and nuts. Whether it's 'the holiday season' or you enjoy a slice just with your tea, this fruit cake recipe surely will be a treasured favourite in your home.

• 250 gms maida
• 4 large eggs
• 200 gms unsalted butter
• 500 gms mixed dried fruits
• 200 gms brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp spice mix

• Begin by soaking 500 gms of mixed dried fruits in 200 ml dark rum. You could include such goodies as raisins, currants, cherries, cranberries, apricots, and dates in various flavours, for example.
• Place your dried fruits in a bowl and pour your dark rum over them, ensuring they are entirely covered.
• Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, and let it stay at room temperature for at least 24 hours. Soaking fruits plump, infusing cake with the delicious flavour of rum .
• After your fruits are soaked, it is now time to prepare your oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
• It is a suitable temperature to bake a moist fruit cake. Meanwhile, prepare your cake tin. Grease a 9-inch round cake tin with butter or cooking spray, then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper for it to come out quickly after baking
• : Measure out 250 gms of maida into a large mixing bowl.
• Add one teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and two teaspoons of mixed spice powder, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisking the dry ingredients. This will shape your cake and release its aromatic flavour into the air.
• Put 200 gms of unsalted butter in a separate bowl. Ensure that it stays at room temperature to be easy to incorporate. Add 200 gms of brown sugar to the bowl of your mixing equipment and cream together using an electric mixer or a whisk. Beat for about 3-5 minutes till it is light and fluffy. The sugar should dissolve into the butter, giving it a smooth texture .
• Once your butter and sugar are well combined, it's time to add four large eggs.
• Beat the eggs one at a time; mix well between each addition. If it starts to curdle and separate, add just a little of the prepared flour mixture to stabilise it.
• This is an essential step so that the batter becomes smooth.
• Mix in the flour mixture into the wet ingredients gradually.
• Use a spatula or wooden spoon while gently folding the flour into the batter.
• Do not overmix: this cake is dense; mix just enough to combine the flour, and the batter should be smooth.
• Day 2: Drain the fruits that have soaked.
• Reserve the rum liquid and set it aside. Toss the drained fruits in 2 tablespoons of flour. This way, the fruits are well coated, and during the baking process, they do not settle at the bottom of the pan.
• The flour develops a crust that will keep them spread all over the batter.
• Fold gently the floured dried fruits in the cake batter. Along with them, add 100 gms of chopped nuts, walnuts, or almonds for a delightful crunchy texture. Be soft folding; do not let fruits and nuts fall into the batter.
• Pour all ingredients into a prepared cake tin after everything is mixed.
• Spread out evenly with a spatula. Put in oven and bake for about 2 hours. The cake is made when a skewer that was inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs sticking to it, your cake is done. If there's still wet batter on the skewer, it needs more time in the oven.
• When the cake is done, you may take it out of the oven.
• Still warm, brush the top of the cake with the reserved rum. This step imparts moisture and magnifies the rum flavour so that it is more delectable.
• Let the cake cool in the tin for about 15 - 20 minutes; next, be careful when taking out the cake from the tin.
• Transfer the fruit cake to a wire rack to be cooled completely before slicing the cake.
• Upon cooling, the fruit cake would be ready to serve. Serve and enjoy with family and friends.