• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour/maida
• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsps baking pwd
• 2 tsps vanilla essence
• 5 eggs
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon pwd
• 1/4 tsp clove pwd
• 1/4 tsp cardamom pwd
• 3/4 tsp shahjeera pwd
• 1 cup caramel
• Preparing
• dried fruits:
• 2 1/2 – 3 cps dried fruits (tutti frutti, dried currants, figs, dates, candied lemon & orange peel, golden raisins, preserved cherries, cashewnuts and almonds)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg pwd
• 1/4 tsp clove pwd
• 3/4 cup dark rum
• 1/2 cup red wine
• For caramel:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup water

Sieve maida and baking pwd.

Seperate egg yolks from the whites. In a seperate bowl, whisk egg yolks with vanilla.
Beat the butter and powdered sugar till smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk mixture little by little, alternating with a tbsp of the sieved flour and combine till smooth.

Add the spice powders and caramel, combine till well blended.

Add the sieved flour in 4-5 batches and combine till well blended.

Add the dried fruits (toss the dried fruits in two – three tbsp of flour) and using a spatula, fold it gently into the batter.

Finally, whisk egg whites till it forms peaks and gently fold into the cake batter till well combined.

Grease the cake tins and line with parchment paper. Pour batter up to half of the prepared cake tins and bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Keep checking from 50 mts itself. Sometimes you might have to bake beyond an hour. So bake at 250 degrees for another 5 to10 mts till the cake is brown and when you insert a knife into the cake, it should come through clean.

Once done, cool on a wire rack for 15 mts before removing the cake from the tin and carefully peel the paper. Cool the cake completely before wrapping in a clear plastic wrap. Keep away the cake for a minimum of 24 hours before serving. Slice the cake with a serrated knife.

Note:

1. The cake tastes best if it ripens for at least a week. 2. Caramel can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. 3. All the ingredients should be at room temperature. 4. Dust dried fruits in flour before adding into the cake batter. This will ensure that they do not sink to the bottom of the baked cake but spread evenly through out the cake. 5. You can substitute rum/wine with apple juice or pineapple juice. 6. Use fresh spices. 7. Line the greased cake tins along the sides also.

by Pak101.com (few years ago!) / 920 views