Sri Lankan Christmas Cake

1. 1

   Open the preserve jars and drain the fruits from the syrup.

2. 2

   Chop sultanas, raisins, candied fruits and fruits from the preserves into small pieces. Add the orange juice, lemon juice, brandy, half of the rose water and half of the vanilla extract. Mix well and leave in a jar for at least one day and up to three days.

3. 3

   Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg yolks. Add the orange zest, lemon zest and remaining rose water and vanilla extract, and continue to beat until combined. Add the semolina, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and mix until well combined.

4. 4

   Transfer the batter to a large bowl, add the brandied fruit mixture, and stir well until fruits and nuts are dispersed evenly throughout the batter.

5. 5

   Beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the whites into the cake batter.

6. 6

   Preheat the oven to 250u00b0F. Line three 13x9 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Turn the batter into the pans and bake for about 3 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Depending on the oven, the moisture level of your batter, etc. it might take longer, even up to 4 hours.)

7. 7

   Let the cake cool in the pan for about 30min and then remove from the pan.

8. 8

   Drizzle the cake with additional brandy and let it cool completely. Wrap the cake tightly in aluminum foil and store for at least a week before serving. (The cake can be kept for a year in an airtight container. And you can keep on drizzling the brandy to keep it moist!)

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.