Ingredients (Makes 2 - 9inch cakes):
Cake:
All purpose flour -- 3 cups (1 lb)
Butter -- 1 lb, room temperature
Sugar -- 2 cups (1 lb)
Eggs -- 10
Baking powder -- 1½ tsp
Cinnamon Powder -- ½ tsp
Clove Powder -- ½ tsp
Nutmeg Powder -- ½ tsp
Vanilla Essence -- ½ tbsp
Honey -- 2 tsp
Glycerin -- 1 tsp (optional)
Caramelized sugar -- 1 cup sugar caramelized with ½ cup water
Mixed fruits (Tutti fruity, ginger snaps, citrus peels) -- 2½ cup - soaked in rum for atleast couple of months
Dry fruits (Chopped cashews, walnuts) -- 1 cup
Icing:
Egg whites -- From 2 large eggs
Confectioners Sugar -- 3 - 4 cups
Lemon juice -- 1 tsp
Preparation:
Soak the fruits in rum for atleast 2 months or up to a year. I have also used the store bought candied fruits without soaking in rum. It enhances the flavor if soaked in rum.
Caramel:
Start with the caramel, add the sugar with water in a sauce pan and heat on medium flame. Let it boil. Once it starts to bubble, reduce the flame to medium low. It takes 15-20 minutes to get a dark brown colour. Take care not to burn the caramel. The caramel once cool should have the consistency of honey.
If it gets too hard, add more water and heat it up until it melts. If it is too thin, heat it for a little bit more time. Keep an eye on it to make sure not to burn the caramel. I like to have it in a dark brown colour, but not burned.
While hot, it will have a free flowing consistency and thickens as it cools. Handle with utmost care. Never ever try to touch or lick the caramel at any stage before it is completely cool.
I usually prepare the caramel atleast a day before to have it cool while adding to the cake. At times I make for 2-3 batches together and save it in a mason jar.
Cake:
Prepare two 9 inch cake tins and keep aside. At times I use small rectangular pans and this yields about 9-10 small cakes based on the size of the pans.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
Separate the egg yolk and whites. Add the egg whites into a clean bowl. Keep it aside.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and the spice powders. Keep it aside.
Add sugar to the egg yolks and beat well. Add the butter and continue to beat until it is light and fluffy.
Add vanilla essence, honey and glycerin. Beat well.
Add the flour mix and mix on medium speed. Add the caramelized sugar syrup and beat again.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until still peaks. If you do not have multiple mixer bowls, prepare the egg whites first and then start with the yolks. Make sure you prep all other items so that it doesn't have to sit so for long. I use my stand mixer for the batter and hand blender for the egg whites.
Add the fruits and nuts to the batter. Mix on medium speed.
Add the stiff egg whites and fold in into the batter. Do not over mix as that would deflate the batter.
Spoon the batter in to the prepared pans and bake for 45minutes - 1 hour. This varies based on the size of the pans used. Keep an eye on the cakes after 45 minutes. Bake until the tooth pick comes out clean when poked in the middle of the cake.
Let it cool completely on the cooling rack. Cover the cake in a foil wrap tightly and keep it in a dark place for 2-3 days. This allows the flavors to blend well with the cake.
Slice and enjoy at this stage or you can also add more sweetness to beautify it with the icing.
Icing:
Add the egg whites to a clean bowl. Make sure the bowl and the beater is clean and free of any oil content. Beat until they form stiff peaks.
Add the confectioners sugar 2 tbsp at a time and let it mix well. Finally add the lemon juice and beat well. This should give a smooth and shiny mixture.
While adding the sugar check for the consistency and make sure it is not too thick or not too thin. It should be a spreadable consistency.
Working with Royal icing needs more practice and you can see that on my cake walls :) . I somehow managed to get a good swirl on the top.
Decorate it on the cake as desired. I gave an old fashioned - Kerala bakery style look adding couple of fondant flowers as well.
Recipe Courtesy: A bunch of good friends in Jacksonville and for the icing, I do not remember the site - I just searched on internet and found one
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