Christmas Cake Fruit

It's that time of year.....

                          (Yes, it really is)

Please do not scream at the computer screen.

It really is time to start soaking your

fruit for your Christmas cake.

I know, I know,

you are shaking your head in disbelief,

but the longer you can leave

these jewelled gems to soak,

the better your cake will taste.

I have followed this recipe

for many years now,

and after playing around
 with it several times,

I feel I have finally cracked it.

I first read about a

'good, long soak'

in The Bourke Street Bakery recipe book.

It is a lovely,

if somewhat large,

read.

With some delicious recipes,

it was their advice about fruit loaf

which really caught my eye.

They suggest a six week soak of the fruit,

in an alcohol and sugar syrup mixture,

so as to really get the fruit infused with all

the delicious flavours we

associate with Christmas.

The fruit is so soft and plump when

you come to bake with it.

I work on the basis of trying

to bake the cakes on

Stir Up Sunday,

so counting back six weeks from

November,

that is about now.

I pencil this into my calendar for September

every year.

It is terribly simple to do

and the rewards are well worth the little

bit of effort it requires.

You will need :

200g Sultanas

200g Raisins

175g Dried Apricots

100g Dried Dates

55g Glace Cherries

Juice (55ml) and zest of an orange

Cinnamon stick

170ml Dark Rum (or alcohol of your choice)

55g Caster sugar

You can use any combination

of dried fruits you prefer,

as long as the combined weight

is 730g.

1. Place the orange juice and caster sugar into a

pan over a low heat.

Warm gently until the sugar

has completely dissolved.

2. leave to cool for a few minutes and

add the rum.

Mix together and pour over the dried fruits,

cinnamon stick and orange zest.

Stir well until the liquid has coated all

the fruits.

Place into an airtight container .

3. Stir the fruit mixture every day for the first week,

and then once a week thereafter.

You will notice every time you open the

lid to stir up these glistening fruit gems,

the quite heady aroma that hits

you.

It is delicious.

After approximately six weeks of lovingly

tending your rum soaked fruits,

they are ready for baking.

I will be posting details of the cake recipe

a little later,

so until then,

enjoy your day.

Bernice

x