Drop the groundnuts in a bowl of water and immediately remove and drain.
In a dry bowl, add and mix all the ingredients except oil and peanuts. Now add the peanuts and mix. Add water little by little and keep mixing. The peanuts should be coated with the batter. This should be dry not watery.
Place the peanuts in a microwavable tray or dish or plate. The peanuts should be separated from one another. You can make in batches. I am doing this here in two batches –one without oil and one with oil. Microwave on high setting for 3 minutes. Remove mix and again microwave for another minute. Remove and allow to cool.
If you want to add oil, do this after the peanuts are coated with flour mixture and then mix well. Then place them on the microwavable plate and microwave.
Enjoy. Snack for all occasions. Remember Spice to taste.
900 gms mixed Dry fruits (can obtain from Supermarket in packet) or put in the following:
200 gms Currants
150 gms chopped Dates
150 gms chopped Cranberry
100 gms Dark Sultanas
100 gms Sultanas
100 gms Chopped Dry Cherries
100 gms Prunes chopped
Mix the above in a glass bowl or Jar. Add 2 cups of Dark Rum and close with cling wrap. Keep this in the cupboard or away from sunlight. Do this at least 3 days prior to baking cake. Some do this a month earlier, some 3 months earlier.
250 gms nuts (Almonds and Walnuts) cut into small pieces. To be added to the above mixture a day earlier to baking cake (1 cup Dark Rum to be added and mixed well)
1 bottle Dark Rum (750 ml)
500 gms standard flour or Maida to be sifted along with baking powder
½ tsp baking powder
500 gms Powdered (Castor) Sugar
500 gms Unsalted Butter
125 gms Ghee or Clarified Butter
500 gms Eggs (8)
1 tbsp. Vanilla Essence
1 tsp Caraway Seeds (to be rubbed on palm of your hand before putting)
1 Tbsp. Treacle or Golden Syrup (to be added last)
1 cup Burnt Sugar Syrup (see video – how to prepare burnt sugar syrup)
Method:
Remove soaked fruit and nuts and spread on a tray. Sprinkle some of the flour over them and mix lightly.
Line the cake tins to be used for baking with Baking paper.
Separate the eggs yolk from the white and keep aside. Beat the white of egg to stiff consistency.
In a cake mixer or in a deep vessel, blend the butter, ghee and sugar adding the sugar little at a time. Total 20 minutes if blending in vessel. Use a big wooden spoon or wooden buttermilk churner. Start adding flour and egg yolk – little at a time and blend well. When egg yolk is finished start adding white of egg until both the flour and egg has been added. Blend well.
Add the vanilla essence, caraway seeds and blend further. Add the burnt sugar and mix well. Lastly add the golden syrup. Now add the dry fruits and nuts. Mix well and pour into Cake tins (sized 6 to 8 inches or 12 to 20 cms) lined with baking paper.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 2 hour at 140 degrees fan forced or 150 conventional oven or 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Check if the cake is done, by piercing the cake with a skewer. If it comes clean without any batter, cake is baked. Otherwise continue baking for some more time.
Remove and let the cake cool in the tins.
Feeding the Cake with Rum:
Remove the cake along with the baking paper and place on aluminium foil. Pierce the cake half way through with a chopstick or thick skewer. Around 12 to 15 will suffice. Pour the rum into the holes little at a time, 6 to 8 spoons. Wrap the cake with the baking paper and foil and place it in cupboard for a week. You can do this a couple of times (if you have time). Just before Xmas you can ice the cake or top it up with dry fruits (I have not shown this hear).
In a thick bottomed vessel heat the sugar or low to medium heat. When the sugar has melted and starts bubbling remove from stove and add half of the water. The mixture will start smoking. Stir to dissolve the sugar clumps that form. Place back on the stove and on low heat keep stirring to dissolve any balance sugar clumps. Add rest of the water and heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from stove and allow to cool. Use for cakes, pudding, custard etc.
Cooking With Dexter 