Old Fashioned Brandied Coffee Fruit Cake

Old fashioned Brandied Coffee Fruit Cake

You should start to soak the fruits for this cake 1 1/2-2 months before u want to eat it.Yields 2 cakes.

Ingredients

For soaking

1. mixed diced candied fruits-3 cups

[I used dates,pineapple,mango,cherry,papaya & orange]

raisins & kismis- 2 cups

cashews,badam & walnuts-1 1/2 cup[1/2 cup I set aside for topping the cakes]

Brandy-1 cup

Soak the fruits & nuts in 1/2 cup brandy.After 1 week all this will be absorbed by the fruits.Now add the remaining 1/2 cup & soak for another 2 weeks or more.

For the cake batter

2.Unsalted Butter-1 cup/2 sticks/226 gm[room temp.] + 2 tbsp for greasing the cake tins

Light Brown Sugar-1 1/2 cup

Dark Brown Sugar-1/2 cup

In a large bowl cream together the butter & sugars[u can powder this & use] with an electric beater till fluffy.

3.Eggs-4 [room temp.]

Add one egg at a time,beating after each addition till fluffy.

4.All purpose Flour--3 cups+ extra for greasing the cake tins

Baking powder-1 tsp

Salt-1/2 tsp

cardamom,cinnamon,cloves & nutmeg -1 tsp[all together powdered]

Sieve the above dry ingredients together thrice.Meanwhile preheat the oven at 160 C.Line 2 baking loaf tins/tray with a tbsp butter & sprinkle a tbsp flour & rotate to coat evenly.

5.Brewed Coffee-3/4 cup

Orange juice-1/4 cup

Orange zest-2 tsp

Milk-1/4 cup[if reqd]

Add the flour mixture alternatively with the coffee,juice stirring after each addition,until batter is blended well.

Add the soaked fruits & milk if necessary.Pour into prepared cake tins & decorate with the set aside nuts.Bake in a preheated oven until a skewer inserted at the center comes out clean.

6 Brandy-1 1/2 cups

Let the cakes cool in pans for 15 minutes & then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.Once cooled,place each cake on a large sheet of aluminium foil .Brush all the sides of each cake with 1/4 cup each brandy.Then wrap the cake tightly with the aluminium foil & store in a dark place.

After a week unwrap the cake & brush all sides with 1/4 cup brandy for each cake & rewrap tightly & store in dark place.Repeat

the process after another week.Then let the cake rest for another week before serving.