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Just few more days of waiting for the grand occasion of gifts and celebration. As we all know, Christmas is the most awaited festival during winters all across the globe. From selecting gifts for the family to planning for the party on Christmas eve, this festival has so many exciting things to do. Every country has a list of dishes that they prepare for Christmas, but the festive cake is the common thread that has united the whole world. With its delicious flavours and sweetness, cakes have brought additional joy to the celebrations.
There are a variety of cakes with various flavours but the classic Christmas cake is the most popular one. It is basically a fruit cake that is made with nuts and fruits soaked in wine, rum or any other alcohol to give it a strong, boozy flavour and we all love it. But did you know, this favourite Christmas treat has a connection with the Romans from the Middle-Ages?
The Roman Connection
Yes, you read it right. A simple version of fruitcake similar to energy bars, made with honey, barley, dried fruits and wine were served to the Roman soldiers to re-energize them during the battles and it is believed that the Christmas cake has taken inspiration from this combination. According to some historians, in the ancient times, fruitcakes were also left inside the tombs of the dead people for their sustenance in the afterlife. It is also said that some kind of fruit bread already existed in most of the cuisines before the emergence of the fruitcake.
Why So Popular?
The main reason of its popularity is its shelf life. The technique of soaking fruits allowed people to preserve fruits for longer periods. They coated the chopped fruits in sugar syrup and then dried them. This version of preserving fruits became very popular in regions where there was a limited access to fresh fruits. Later, this combination was also started to be used as cakes and gained huge popularity across Europe and America and later, spread to other parts of the world too. Adding wine also extended the shelf life of fruitcakes up to one year, when frozen.
Versions Of Fruitcake
As mentioned earlier, fruitcake was not limited to one or two countries. It travelled all over the world and got different names. In Germany, it is called Stollen and has a snowy look due to a garnish of powdered sugar and in Italy, fruitcake is known as Panforte or Pannetonne. Poland and Bulgaria call them keks and in Portugal, it is known as Bolo Rei. it is referred to as Banh Bo Mut in Vietnam and Barmbrack in Ireland while the Romanians call it Cozonac.
If you also want to make this fruitcake at home, here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 cup rum
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ cup curd
- 2 cup refined flour
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup dates
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ cup mixed tutti frutti
- ½ cup mixed dried berries
- ¼ cup dried figs
- ¼ cup apricot
- ¼ cup cashews
- ¼ cup almonds
Method:
- Add all the chopped nuts and fruits to a large bowl. Pour 1 cup of orange juice and 2 cups of rum into the bowl.
- Soak them properly in the juice-rum mixture for at least 12 hours.
- Add butter and sugar to a bowl. Use an electric whisker to whisk them together.
- Keep whisking till they are combined well and you get a smooth paste.
- Now add oil, curd and again whisk well.
- To this mixture add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, salt and give a mix.
- Also, add the soaked fruits and nuts. Add the orange-rum mixture as per need. Give a nice mix to attain a creamy mixture.
- Now line a baking tin/mould with parchment paper and grease it with some oil.
- Pour the mixture into the tin. Slide the tin into a preheated oven and bake at 170 degrees celsius for 80-90 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick to check, if it comes out clean, your cake is ready.
- Chop the cake into pieces and enjoy!
