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    Rum soaked fruits (Christmas fruit cake Part 1)

    Published: Nov 20, 2020 · Modified: Oct 4, 2021 by Viola · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    Rum (or juice) soaked fruits form the most important part of my amazing Christmas fruit cake recipe! Soaking the fruits ensures that every bit of fruit is perfectly juicy and delicious with the most amazing spiced rum flavor. If you plan to make my amazing fruitcake for Christmas this year, follow along and get soaking!

    This post is part 1 of a 2 part series for making my delicious & juicy Rum & Fruit Christmas Cake. In Part 2, I show you how to make the actual cake. Click here to go to the cake recipe ❤

    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    Juicy soaked fruits in my Christmas cake

    Growing up in India, it wasn't common to have ovens at home and my mom, like most Indian moms would buy Christmas cake from a local bakery. I remember the cake being extremely dry and overcooked with a sharp bitter flavor. Honestly, I didn't really enjoy eating fruitcake back then.

    After I started making fruit cake at home, my life was changed forever! To me, what those bakery cakes lacked was the absolute best part of any Christmas cake - the burst of juicy fruits when I bite into it. My Christmas cake recipe is filled with so much juicy fruits that biting into it is pure joy and leads to an explosion of flavor in your mouth. 🤤

    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    What fruits can I use

    Different recipes like to use different kinds of dried fruit in their cakes. Some recipes may call for dried tropical fruit like mangoes, papaya or kiwis while others like to use candied citrus peels. I like to keep my recipe really simple and accessible with very little prep involved.

    Here's my favorite mix of fruits that I like to use:

    1. Mixed raisins ( golden & dark)
    2. Dried cranberries
    3. Dates
    4. Candied ginger

    I skip candied citrus peels because I like using fresh citrus zest in my cake for that beautiful depth of flavor.

    Feel free to use any mix of dried fruit that you can find easily at your local stores and replace any of the above fruit with your favorite ones.

    Soaking liquid & non-alcoholic option

    I love the flavor of spiced rum in my Christmas cake, so that's what I use to soak my fruit. The dried fruits get rehydrated in the rum and soaks it all up, making it super juicy and flavorful.

    If you can't find spiced rum, you can also use dark rum, cognac, brandy or sherry to soak your fruits.

    If you don't consume alcohol, you can replace the rum with a blend of your favorite fruit juices. My favorite is apple and orange juice (1 cup each).  

    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    How to soak the fruit & for how long?

    I like to soak my fruits about a month before I plan on making the cake. Here's how I do it:

    Add all your fruits to a glass container and pour the soaking liquid on top. Give everything a good mix and cover it well. Every week, open the container and give everything a good mix (using a clean, dry spoon), so that all the fruit can rehydrate evenly.

    If you are using fruit juice instead of rum, you only need to soak the fruit for a week. Also, remember to store the soaked fruit in the refrigerator because fresh juice can go bad.

    If you are short on time, even 1 week (or 2-3 days) will work. Just remember to mix the fruits everyday so they can rehydrate well.

    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    Nuts in the fruit cake

    Some recipes call for soaking nuts along with the fruit. I prefer my nuts to remain crunchy when baked and soaking can make them very soft and soggy, so I skip this step and add them directly into the cake batter.

    Size of the finished cake

    My recipe for soaked fruits below is for making a tall 9" fruitcake. I like using a tall springform pan to bake my cake. You could also bake 2 smaller 6/7 inch cakes with this same recipe.

    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    Storage instructions

    If you are soaking the fruits in rum, store them in a dark cabinet or cupboard until you make the cake.

    If you are soaking the fruits in fruit juice, you will need to refrigerate the mixture so it doesn't go bad.

    10 other recipes to make with this soaked fruit

    You could use these soaked fruit in many other recipes apart from my Christmas cake. They would make great additions to:

    1. My Banana bread recipe!
    2. Spooned over ice cream
    3. Mixed into ice cream base before freezing to make rum & raisin ice cream!
    4. Stuffed between 2 slices of bread with some cream cheese
    5. Spooned over French toast!
    6. Muffins
    7. Scones
    8. Cakes
    9. Breads
    10. Bread rolls (like cinammon rolls)!

    The leftover rum in the container is my favorite part and can be used in so many different ways too. I have some exciting cocktails coming up during the holiday season using this soaking liquid!

    Click the image below to go to the Christmas rum and fruit cake recipe

    Christmas rum & fruit cake

    Recipe

    Love this recipe?Rate the recipe by clicking on the stars in the recipe card below
    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake

    Rum soaked fruits for Christmas cake!

    Rum soaked fruits (Christmas fruit cake Part 1) 1Viola
    Rum (or juice) soaked fruits form the most important part of my amazing Christmas fruit cake recipe! Soaking the fruits ensures that every bit of fruit is perfectly juicy and delicious with the most amazing spiced rum flavor.
    4.80 from 10 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Condiments, Desserts
    Cuisine Indian Fusion
    Servings 1 9" cake

    Equipment

    Rolling pin
    glass container

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 lb mixed raisins (I used golden & dark)
    • 5.3 oz dried cranberries
    • 3.5 oz dates
    • 1.8 oz candied ginger
    • 2 cups spiced rum see notes

    Instructions
     

    • Chop the dates and candied ginger into small cubes (about ⅓").
      Rum soaked fruits
    • Add all the dried fruit into a glass container and pour over the rum over the top. Give everything a good mix, cover the container with a lid and store it in a dark cabinet until you make the cake.
      Rum soaked fruits
    • Open the container every week or so and give it a good mix before you put it back.
      Rum soaked fruits

    Notes

    1. If you can't find spiced rum, you can also use dark rum, cognac, brandy or sherry to soak your fruits.
    2. If you don't consume alcohol, you can replace the rum with a blend of your favorite fruit juices. My favorite is apple and orange juice (1 cup each) but you can also use options like pineapple juice. Store it the refrigerator and only soak for 1 week.
    3. You can use any mix of fruits you like/that are easily accessible, as long as the total weight of all the fruits before soaking is the same (750 gms).
    4. If you are short on time, even 1 week (or 2-3 days) will work. Just remember to mix the fruits everyday so they can rehydrate well.
    5. My recipe for soaked fruits is for making a tall 9" fruitcake. I like using a tall springform pan to bake my cake. You could also bake 2 smaller 6/7 inch cakes with this same recipe.
    This post is part 1 of a 2 part series for making my delicious & juicy Rum & Fruit Christmas Cake. In Part 2, I show you how to make the actual cake. Click here to go to the cake recipe ❤
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @LimeThymeRecipes and tag #limethymerecipes
    Subscribe to my YouTube channelSubscribe to get notified about my latest recipe videos!    

    This post is part 1 of a 2 part series for making my delicious & juicy Rum & Fruit Christmas Cake. In Part 2, I show you how to make the actual cake. Click here to go to the cake recipe ❤

    Christmas rum & fruit cake

    Please leave a comment below to let me know what you think and subscribe to my social media if you would like to see more easy and delicious recipes.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Gini says

      December 02, 2020 at 5:14 am

      Hi
      Thank you for this recipe reminds me also of my days in India eating this fabulous Rum cake
      For Christmas. Can you please let me know when you will share recipe for part 2 my fruits are soaked and eagerly waiting to be baked I need to ship it to my family can’t wait !! Thank you

      Reply
      • Viola says

        December 02, 2020 at 6:27 am

        Hi Gini! I am so excited that you will be joining me this year in making my Rum cake 🥰 I plan on posting the recipe on the weekend of 12-13th. Hope that won't be too late to send to your family ❤

        Reply
        • gini says

          December 02, 2020 at 6:13 pm

          Hi!! that will be a little late since I need to courier it across country and packages may take longer to be delivered due to Christmas.
          Thank you !!

          Reply
          • Viola says

            December 03, 2020 at 6:35 pm

            I plan on making the cake this weekend and I'll definitely try to post it ASAP. Thanks for letting me know ❤

            Reply
            • gini says

              December 03, 2020 at 7:28 pm

              Thank you, really appreciate it!! Waiting eagerly!

            • Viola says

              December 12, 2020 at 8:43 pm

              Hi Gini, the cake recipe + detailed video is now up! Here's the link: https://limethyme.com/christmas-rum-fruit-cake-part-2/
              Sorry, I really tried to get it done sooner but it took longer than expected. Let me know how it turns out! ❤

    2. Roshni says

      December 12, 2020 at 3:40 pm

      5 stars
      SOAKED! Have relished so many of your recipes that am gonna dive into Part 2 the soonest it's published! CANT. WAIT.

      Reply
      • Viola says

        December 12, 2020 at 9:37 pm

        Hi Roshni! I am so excited that you will be baking my fruit cake! I just posted the recipe for it.. Let me know how it goes ❤

        Reply
    3. Amanda says

      December 25, 2020 at 1:14 am

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! Started soaking the fruits a while ago and made the cake last week and let it rest for a week. Brushed it a few times with the leftover soaking rum. I am a convert. This cake is amazing. Not at all like the yucky ones from stores. It’s wonderful, very moist and dense and just the right hit of spices and citrus. Nothing fake or weird. My husband said it was the best ever! Thanks Viola!!

      Reply
      • Viola says

        December 25, 2020 at 1:44 am

        Yay! I’m so glad you and your husband loved it 💗 Thank you for trying my recipe! Merry Christmas 🤗

        Reply
    4. Kenrick says

      November 08, 2021 at 8:03 pm

      Hey Viola
      U have mentioned 1 batch of soaked fruits ...Approx what's the weight of the batch of the soaked fruits ?

      Reply
      • Viola says

        November 09, 2021 at 7:26 am

        Hi, I provide weight measurements in the recipe card, click on the 'metric' button right about the ingredients list. For this recipe, I used 750g of dried fruit and 480ml of rum.

        Reply

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    About Me Lime Thyme

    HEY, I'M VIOLA!

    I'm a self taught recipe developer, food photographer and videographer living in Seattle.

    Welcome to Lime Thyme, where you'll find  find easy, flavorful and innovative Indian inspired recipes using seasonal and fresh ingredients!

    Learn more about me here.

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      About Me Lime Thyme

      HEY, I'M VIOLA!

      I'm a self taught recipe developer, food photographer and videographer living in Seattle.

      Welcome to Lime Thyme, where you'll find  find easy, flavorful and innovative Indian inspired recipes using seasonal and fresh ingredients!

      Learn more about me here.

        Popular

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