Steamed Fruit Cake

My family and I loves to eat fruit cake;  (not the fresh fruit cake) but the type of fruit cake more on the dried mixed fruits and usually the mixed dried fruits we will soaked in brandy overnight and thereafter used it to baked.    This type of fruit cake is my mother's favourite!  Just last week my Sister S baked it and I wonder how many slices my mom had eaten!

And since Christmas is just around the corner, oh, times pass real fast, right, and still going for the festive mood, I have made this Steamed Fruit Cake.......... instead of baking it for a change!

Steamed Fruit Cake
Recipe source from BitterSweetSpicy with slight changes

Ingredients 

A
250g butter (softened)
80 fine sugar
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp orange essence (I didn't add this)
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

B (combined & sifted)
250g plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

C (combined)
100g mixed dried mixed fruits
150g dried black currants 

50g dried cranberries 
50g walnuts (chopped into small pieces), this is optional but I added
20g plain flour

D
200g castor sugar (to caramelized sugar) 

Method:

Heat a steamer over medium heat.

Combine A, except eggs, mix with a wooden spoon.

Add eggs, one at a time, & blend well. Do not overmix.

Add B & mix well.

Add C & mix well. Do not overmix.

Prepare the caramelized sugar by placing D into a heavy skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon as sugar melts. When it becomes very dark brown, remove from heat and carefully add to the fruit cake mixture.

(NB: the caramelized sugar will harden almost immediately, the hardened ones can still be added to the batter in the baking pan.)

Pour mixture into a lined & greased baking pan (8x8x4"). Cover the pan with a grease paper & tie the pan with a string and cover with another aluminium foil & tie the pan with a string again. (This is to make sure the pan is water-proof)

Steam the cake for 4 hours. Remove pan from steamer and let stand aside for 10 minutes, remove cake from pan and leave to cool completely before slicing.

Would you want to make this cake that called for 4 long hours of steaming or prefer the bake type?

I know to those who stay in the country where LPG is expensive, I know you will skip this a go..... right?  And rather do the bake one instead.  When I first gone thru the method making this recipe earlier, steaming for 4 hours really got my eye balls nearly drop out!  

Yes Faeez, I am game for it and I have made it!!

Do you know that Steamed Fruit Cake taste even more better after it has aged for a day or two and even better in a week!

The first time I made Steamed Fruit Cake  was last year, and that recipe only called for 2 hours and 45 minutes and that time I thought it was long steaming and I can't imagine myself that I would go for this recipe for 4 hours steaming!! 

I know 4 hours steaming might scare you off...... unless you have tasted the steamed fruit cake before, else you will die die want to make it too!   This is why it prompted me to make this as I have tasted one of the steamed fruit cake previously from a Malay ex-colleague that is soooooo delicious!

Next time, I will post the bake one...... I have to ask my mom or my sister for the recipe first.