Aunt Mary's Christmas fruit cake

My Aunt Mary is the kindest soul you will ever meet on this earth, besides my mother, rest her soul. She lived in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn N.Y. for forty years, and absolutely refused to move or allow anyone to relocate her. Yet that tiny apartment has seen more love and kindness than any palace or mansion could ever accommodate. She just kept on giving and giving until only an act of nature could uproot her. During the Coronavirus outbreak, she was forced to leave and go live with her daughter.

Many a time I have sought refuge in her home, many a time she has helped me out of sticky situations without pausing to think about my reasons. She believes in the best of human spirit and truth. I keep saying that the word 'no' was never a part of her vocabulary. I wish that I had thought to get a petition signed by the many which have come to her door for aid and succor and was never turned away. It would be a very long list.

And oh my heavens, could she cook. Aunt May (as she is fondly called) is a vibrant, steel coated, feisty, independent and stubborn lady, now she is thundering her path into the nineties, but disappointedly, not a lot of cooking and baking, except for the minimum of efforts on her part to take care of her personal tastes in eating.

But, her Curried goat, her Curried chicken, her fried chicken, her chicken vegetable soup, her Bean soup among so many dishes, were to die for. If you turn up at her door, expect to be comforted and pampered with many blessings for your palate. She will sit you down on the couch, pull the coffee table forward and say "eat, you will feel much better after". Then she sits nearby, making sure you enjoy the feast, then the troubles can now be heard. Somehow, they never seemed that bad afterwards.

Last but not least was her Christmas fruit cake, the joy of biting into a warm slice of dark fruited bliss, was worth being packed into her small warm and cozy living room every year with the whole family vying for space at Christmas. Most major holidays always found us at her door, we better turn up, or there would be hell to pay. Those were such fun times.

Damn, where did the years go? I suddenly feel so nostalgic, I really could shed a tear or two. Happily, Nana is now relaxing and getting some pampering herself. She so deserves it, though she keeps saying she is just resting a while, before returning to her own little apartment. Her independence is still encouraged though there is no more living on her own. We won't tell her that.

Aunt Mary cooked Jamaican style, we never dream of white Christmas' there. Sigh! The same mixture can be used for both Cake and pudding, the cake is baked, and the pudding steamed. Raisins, currants and prunes are soaked for months, sometimes years, in real Jamaican rum, in anticipation for the baking in December.

Christmas cake/pudding

To make a 9" pudding and a 9" cake, prepare and soak:

1 lb. Raisins, 1 lb. currants and 1 lb. prunes (blend or grind a half if preferred)

1. Cover with a mixture of rum and port wine

2. Soak in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. (Avoid using plastic containers when using rum).

3. Label container with quantity and date.

4. Check at intervals to ensure fruit is always covered with rum mixture.

Recipe for baking a 4lb cake in a 9" baking tin.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. butter

1/2 lb. granulated sugar

1 tbsp browning (burnt sugar or molasses) to taste, more if needed

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond flavoring

2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp lime or orange rind

6 eggs

4 cups mixed fruits (raisins, currants, prunes, citron, cherries, dates), or fruits of your choosing.

6 ozs breadcrumbs

6 ozs flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp mixed spice

1 cup white rum

1 pt. port wine/brandy optional

1/2 cup chopped nuts (not peanuts) optional

1. Prepare tin my lining with 2 sheets of regular baking paper and 1 of greaseproof paper.

2. Grease with shortening

3. Beat butter/sugar until light and fluffy

4. Mix in browning, vanilla and almond flavoring, lime juice/rind

5. Add eggs one at a time, beat well. Add soaked fruits, cherries, dates and nuts

6. Mix breadcrumbs, flour baking powder, salt and mixed spice

7. Add rum and port wine alternatively

8. Mix well, pour into prepared baking/steaming tins 3/4 full

9. Cover with baking paper if desired, if steaming cover well

10. Place in oven, bake at 350 degrees (maybe 3-3 1/2 hours depending on oven).

Tip 1:

You may steam in the oven by placing baking tin in water or by placing a tin of boiling water below the baking tin. Pudding can also be cooked in the pressure cooker.

Tip 2:

Christmas cakes and puddings can be made up to 4 weeks before serving, as they improve with age. Granulated sugar is preferred over brown sugar, because it creams quicker. Browning can be salty, so taste before adding. Drain fruits thoroughly, to better judge amount of liquid added to mixture. Toast nuts and cool before adding to cake mixture.

If you ever decide to try this recipe, please bake it with love, and remember to share it with your loved ones and friends. Make the holidays and every day count. Time moves so fast, one day you wake up and end up wondering where it all went so fast.

Forget the quarrels, the misunderstandings, and unimportant little squabbles, if you will, in the end regret is not having enjoyed life and togetherness as often and best as you can.

Enjoy the holidays and many blessing to families, friends and loved ones, wherever they may be.

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