If you haven’t soaked your fruits for Christmas yet, don’t fret, you can still bake a delicious, full-bodied plum cake. While many families begin soaking their fruit mixes months in advance, the tradition itself goes back to a 17th-century ritual of celebrating the harvest season. Over time, bakeries and hotels turned it into a marker of the winter festive calendar — and eventually into an annual event for luxury food and beverage brands.
At its core, fruit soaking is simply maceration. Letting dry fruits rest in a flavoured liquid or alcohol to enhance their aroma, sweetness and texture. The long wait does deepen flavour, but there are easy ways to speed up the process without losing the richness.
Chef Subhadip Saha, chef trainer at IHM Taratala, Kolkata, shares his quick maceration tricks that give you a ready-to-use mix in just 24 hours.
Why maceration matters
“Traditional Christmas fruit mixes are soaked in sugary and smoky spirits like rum, brandy, red wine or bourbon, along with fruit juices and warming spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, mace, nutmeg, ginger powder, star anise and even a pinch of black pepper,” said Saha. The mix usually rests for a month or more, but Saha’s method recreates the same depth in a fraction of the time.
Quick method with alcohol
- For those using alcohol, choose soft, pulpy dry fruits such as raisins, sultanas, figs and black currants
- For 100g fruits, add 100ml dark rum or brandy, 100ml sugar syrup and your spice blend
- Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds
- Cover with plastic film and let it cool to room temperature
- Add a splash of orange juice and nuts of your choice
- Your fruit mix will be ready to use after 24 hours
Without alcohol
- If you prefer an alcohol-free plum cake, the process is just as simple
- Heat 100g sugar, 200ml water and your spice mix until it begins to boil
- Switch off the flame, add 200ml orange juice, then 250–300g dry fruits
- Cover with plastic film and let it sit for 24 hours
- Both versions must be refrigerated after the first day
With these quick maceration techniques, you don’t need weeks of preparation or elaborate planning. The flavour-packed mix is perfect for folding into your plum cake batter, giving you the warmth, spice and nostalgia of Christmas in just a day’s work.