Ingredients
- Maida : 1 cup + 1 tbsp for tossing the soaked fruits
- Butter : 3/4 cup at room temperature
- Sugar : 1 cup
- Baking powder : 1 tsp
- Vanilla Extract : 1 tsp
- Eggs : 2 nos
For Soaking Dry fruits
- Tutti Frutti : 1 cup
- Raisins : 1/4 cup
- Chopped cherries : 1/4 cup
- Chopped cashew nuts : 1/4 cup
- Chopped almonds and walnuts : 1/4 cup
- Chopped dates: 1/4 cup
- Red Wine : As needed to soak the fruit
For the caramel
- Granulated Sugar : 1/2 cup
- Water : 1/2 cup
For the spice powders
- Caraway seeds powder : 1 tsp
- Powdered Cinnamon : 1/4 tsp
- Powdered Nutmeg : 1/4 tsp
- Ginger powder : 1/4 tsp
- Cloves powder : 1/4 tsp
Method
Chop and soak the dry fruits in wine and keep it in a bottle overnight at room temperature. It can make 2-3 months or even a week before baking the cake. Longer the fruits steep, better the flavor.
Heat a heavy bottomed vessel and add the sugar with a tbsp of water on medium high heat. The sugar will melt and start to change color. Swirl the vessel, once or twice. Do not allow any sugar crystals to get on the sides of the pan and be sure to moisten all the sugar with the water. Turn off heat, When the color has changed to a little darker golden brown color. Immediately, pour half a cup of water very carefully into the caramel and stir and mix well. Cool the caramel before adding to the cake batter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degree C. Sift the flour, baking powder and keep a side.
Separate egg yolks from the whites. Whisk egg yolks with vanilla in a separate bowl.
Cream butter and sugar till creamy and mixed well. Add the egg yolk mixture little by little, alternatively add a tbsp of the sieved flour and combine till smooth.
Pour in the 1/2 cup caramel syrup and spice powders and beat thoroughly till everything is creamy and mixed. Add the flour in small quantities and gently fold in with a wooden spoon.
After mixing well, drain the soaked fruits and keep half a cup of soaked fruits aside, add the rest of the fruits to the batter and gently fold them into the batter. Coat the 1/2 cup fruits, kept aside earlier, with 1 tbsp flour and set it aside.
Whisk separated egg whites till it forms stiff peaks and gently fold into the cake batter till well mixed.
Grease the cake tins and line with parchment paper. Pour batter up to half of the prepared cake tins and just before smoothening the tops, add the fruits tossed in flour and then level the top, making sure that the fruits are coated with batter as well.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.
make small holes on top of the cake with fork and then sprinkle a teaspoon or two of wine over cake.This can enhance the flavour and increases its life span. let it sink in for a few minutes and invert them onto wire rack and let it cool completely before cutting.