Soaking Fruits for Christmas Cake
Our annual Christmas preparation: dried fruits and homemade candied citrus peels soaked mainly in rum, with optional cinnamon and star anise.
Ingredients
Fruit-soaking mixture
- 1.25–1.5 kg prepared dried fruit mixture including homemade candied citrus peels; weigh after pitting
- 700 ml alcohol mainly rum, with whisky or brandy if desired
- 1 cinnamon stick optional
- 2 star anise optional
- additional alcohol occasional top-ups, as needed
Instructions
- Use a clean, completely dry glass jar with an airtight lid. Keep the knife, chopping board and spoon dry too.
- Pit dates and prunes. Finely chop the larger fruits and homemade candied peels. Weigh the prepared mixture, including peels, to make 1.25–1.5 kg.
- Mix the prepared fruit with 700 ml alcohol, mainly rum with whisky or brandy if desired. Massaging the fruit with the alcohol is our optional family ritual. Transfer to the jar, add cinnamon and star anise if using, stir with a dry spoon and close the lid.
- Keep the closed jar in a cool, dry, dark place. I prefer to start three months before Christmas; I have also made a two-month batch.
- Shake the closed jar once a week, or stir with a clean, dry wooden spoon. Add a little extra alcohol as needed and close again.
- Cranberries, chopped dates and homemade candied peels can join after the first mix. Keep the overall prepared fruit weight and alcohol ratio in mind; no fixed top-up quantity is prescribed.
- For my Christmas cake, weigh 280 g of this soaked mixture before straining. Candied peels are included in that weight; the cake’s walnuts are added separately.
Notes
Choose golden or black raisins, sultanas, apricots, prunes, dates, figs, cranberries and homemade candied citrus peels in flexible proportions. The total fruit weight includes the peels. Scale fruit and alcohol proportionately for a different batch size.
My stories also mention an overnight orange-juice soak as a separate preparation before baking. They do not provide a measured juice quantity or a storage method, so it is not presented here as a complete alternative recipe.