ChristmasEve may be the most enchanted evening of all. So much legend, myth, and mystery, both religious and secular, are part of the night of December 24. And for those who celebrate Christmas, there are more personal and family traditions attached to this night than to any other night of the year.
In some households, the main holiday celebration is held on Christmas Eve, with a big dinner and the opening of the gifts before or afterwards. In other homes decorating the tree and then setting out milk and cookies for Santa is the big event. I love to bake and share with family and friends something sweet and special every Christmas. This year I baked an amazing Luxury Chocolate Fruit Cake with Rum, so good that you wish to bake it for every holiday-)) I like a surprise ending to a nice dinner, and this elegant-looking cake, with its wonderful combination of textures and flavors, finishes this holiday meal with a bang.
What is your tradition for Christmas Eve?
My flower arrangements are getting better every day. This one one of my favorite. I have made a postcards from this beautiful image, if you like I will send you one. Just email me your address.
Happy Holidays my dear readers!!
To wish you all the happiness
This beautiful time of year can bring.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Fruit Cake with Rum
(23 votes, average: 4.04 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (90g) dried apricots, chopped
- 1/2 cup (90g) golden raisins
- 1 cup (170g) mixed dried cranberries and cherries
- 1 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup other dried fruits (prunes, dates, dark raisins)
- zest of one orange (preferably organic)
- juice from one orange
- 1/2 cup molases
- 1/2 cup rum (you can also use Grand Marnier, brandy, cognac or whisky) + 1/3 cup for the top
- 7 Tbsp. (100g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup best-quality lemon or orange marmalade ( I used homemade Candied Lemon Zest)
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 3 Tbsp. best-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- confectioners sugar for dusting
- chocolate decorations (optional)
Instructions
In a large saucepan melt the butter. Add all dried fruits, orange zest, orange juice, molasses, rum, brown sugar, lemon marmalade and spices. Slowly bring to the boil. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Let it cool for about 30 minutes.
In a meantime preheat the oven to 300F and lightly oil the cake pan.
In the large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk together eggs and vanilla extract, then add the egg mixture to the sweet fruit mixture. Mix well. Add flour and mix until all ingredients are combined. Pour the batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely. Remove from the cake pan and make a few holes with a fork. Pour the rest of the rum and let it sit for 15 minutes. Wrap the cake and place it in a cool place until ready to serve.
Notes
To serve: generously dust the confectioners sugar top of the cake and place chocolate decorations.
21 Comments
La Table De Nana
December 21, 2015 at 3:38 pmAlways a feast for the eyes..Happy Holidays to you!
Crisma Benny
November 11, 2020 at 1:40 pmSorry where does the bitter go.
Yelena Strokin
November 11, 2020 at 11:22 pmHello Crisma, if you are refirring to the butter, then you melt the butter and add with fruits and other ingrediets. Its in the begining of the recipe. Have a good bake!
Crisma Benny
November 16, 2020 at 3:37 amThank you ❤️
Yelena Strokin
November 25, 2020 at 2:50 amYou are very welcome!
Zara
December 21, 2015 at 4:07 pmThe cake looks so delicious, and what a lovely floral arrangement!! Yes, please send me a postcard to zzsaawariya8@gmail.com 🙂 Thanks for the wonderful post! Happy holidays to you! Cheerz!
Rosa's Yummy Yums
December 21, 2015 at 4:34 pmA fantastic cake! So festive. I love that flower arrangement.
Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Rosa
handmade by amalia
December 22, 2015 at 9:22 amWhat a wonderful cake, Yelena. Your creations just keep getting more and more beautiful. Happy holidays.
Amalia
xo
Angie Schneider
December 22, 2015 at 6:22 pmWhat a festive and delicious cake! I too love flower arrangement.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Angie
Grace Settle
December 22, 2015 at 6:51 pmWhat size pan?
melangery
December 22, 2015 at 10:04 pmI used 8,5 inch x 3,4 inch cake pan. But really you can use the pan you have at home^ it can be a little smaller or bigger. Have a good bake! And happy holidays!
Roberta
November 2, 2019 at 11:19 pmI have been looking a long time for a recipe with these ingredients: chocolate and rum. Thank you!!
Could this sit for a month to mellow?
Yelena Strokin
November 3, 2019 at 12:59 amIf you can wait that long-))) Honestly you don’t need to wait!
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December 27, 2019 at 12:06 pmAwesome blog thanks for sharing this
Vibha_Singh
December 31, 2019 at 12:13 pmThank you for such a nice article keep posting, I am a Regular Visitor of your website.
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Helen
September 25, 2020 at 2:31 pmHi just found this recipe on Pinterest, I was wondering if it can be fed the same as Christmas and done three months in advance, would it still be ok
Yelena Strokin
October 6, 2020 at 8:03 pmIt’s perfect for Christmas, but I never baked it in advance. Let me know if you try and it will work!
Debbie
November 20, 2023 at 6:45 pmI’ve been looking for a chocolate fruit cake recipe and out of all of the recipes i found, this is the one I will be trying. It looks delicious and moist. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one.
Yelena Strokin
November 28, 2023 at 4:27 amI am happy that you find my recipe, enjoy the cake! Happy winter holidays!
Gaby R
November 24, 2023 at 8:15 pmHello Yelena and thank you for the recipe!
What can I substitute the 1/2 cup of marmalade for?
Thanks!
Gaby
Yelena Strokin
November 28, 2023 at 4:25 amYou can use your any favorite jam.Best of luck!