Ingredients:

• 500 g – Refined flour or Maida
• 300 g – soft Brown sugar
• 100 g – powdered white Sugar
• 1/4 tsp – salt
• 2 tsp – Cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp – Nutmeg powder
• 200 g – chopped black Currants
• 200 g – chopped Raisins
• 100 g – sultanas
• 100 g – chopped orange/ Lemon peel
• 100 g – chopped Cherries
• 500 ml – rum or brandy
• 250 ml – wine
• 500 g – Butter
• 4 eggs – beaten well
• 4 tsp – Milk
• 1 tsp – baking powder
• 1 tsp – vanilla essence
• 1 tsp – Almond essence

Method:

1. Mix all the dried fruits together and soak in rum/ brandy and wine for at least a month.
2. When required drain and keep aside.
3. Reserve the leftover rum.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
5. Dust the soaked fruit / peel with a little flour.
6. Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar well.
7. Add the beaten eggs, almond essence and vanilla essence and mix well.
8. Add the orange / lemon peel and dried fruits, nutmeg powder and spice powder and mix thoroughly.
9. Slowly add the flour and fold in well.
10. If the mixture is too thick add a little milk.
11. Pour into greased and papered baking tins or dishes and bake in a slow oven for about one hour or more (or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean).
12. Remove it from the oven when it is properly cooked.
13. Poke the cake with a toothpick and pour the remaining rum over it.
14. Remove from the tin when cold and wrap tightly in foil or waxed paper and keep in an airtight container for the cake to absorb the rum.
15. Just before serving, heat for a minute in a microwave oven and pour some more rum on the cake while hot.
16. Recipe Courtesy: Anglo-Indian Recipes

Recipe courtesy of Bridget White