What’s for dinner?

 The Butterfly:

Christmas Plum Cake  is not part of the tradition where I’m from.   I googled and found a variety of recipes-with booze and without.  With and without the marzipan topping.  Are you going to put a coin inside?  I really hope we have someone who can help you with this. 

Do we put coin inside the cake !? I had no idea!  

Christmas plum cake is just a fruit cake. My sister's mother in-law is a pro at it. If you are doing it for the first time, just stick to the classic recipe:

Ingredients:
- 2 cups mixed dried fruits (such as raisins, currants, candied cherries, and mixed peel)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts (such as almonds or walnuts)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup rum or brandy (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease and line a 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pan with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, combine the mixed dried fruits and chopped nuts. Add the rum or brandy (if using) and let it soak for at least 1 hour, or overnight for a richer flavor.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix until just combined.

6. Fold in the soaked dried fruits, chopped nuts, orange zest, and lemon zest. Stir until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts browning too quickly, you can cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

9. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

10. Once the cake has cooled, you can serve it as is or decorate it with icing, powdered sugar, or marzipan, if desired.

Pro tips:

Definitely use rum. It won't be  the same without it.

Soak the fruit in rum ahead of time - 24 hours if possible. Be generous and then  let it dry out.

Be generous with the rum and the orange and lemon zest. More is better so exceeed the recipe.

She also mixes a dash of orange juice into the batter. If its too wet just bake a bit longer.

Don't decorate it with frosting, just add it on before serving. Then you can keep the cake for months. After baking you can store it in a tin wrapped in foil. Keep adding rum to it and let it soak in.  It tastes better with time. Her mother-in-law usually starts making it a month or two before Christmas. 

You can adjust the amount of fruits and nuts to your personal taste over time but best start more or less with the classic recipe.

NO COIN - its a choking hazard.

 The Butterfly:

“”Christmas plum cake is just a fruit cake. My sister's mother in-law is a pro at it. If you are doing it for the first time, just stick to the classic recipe:””

Somehow I knew you’d be the one to answer!  Thank you so much! ❤️ I have a couple of recipes bookmarked for plum tortes but no cake.  

I worked with two British ladies years ago and they had mentioned putting a larger coin in a Christmas dessert, but it was a pudding.  Because everyone is hoping to get the coin they sort of  poke their fork through it. Might reduce the choking hazard some but I would be afraid of breaking a tooth if it slipped my defenses.   The only reason I remember this is because I used the lucky find with the bay leaf in soups  instead-whoever found it got a kiss or a hug-only with close family of course.  lol  Little kids loved being the one to find it  as if they’d found a treasure  

Thank you again PBG!

No worries and good luck - its quite an easy cake to make so you can't really go wrong.  If you are doing the coin, a big one is definitely the way to go!

 sojutales:

Thank you Butterfly and PBG for sharing the recipe and tips ! 

I'm now rushing to get the ingredients. I'll share the final results with you guys when it's done !! Omg ! I'm super excited ! 

Love you two ! <3 

Muahh!  <3

No worries, can't wait to see your final results!

I have been trying and failing  to make panetonne for years so if you had asked for X-Mas bread I would not have been able to help at all.

I didn't ate today, but yesterday I ate few snake shaped gummies.  

Chicken cutlets with mushroom sauce over linguine with baby bok choy and carmelized onions.