Kerala Plum Cake

INGREDIENTS:

FOR SOAKING:

3 cups Mixed fruits

1.5 cups Rum / Brandy I used dark rum

FOR CARAMEL: (or just use 1/3 cup dark molasses)

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tbsp Water

1/4 cup Warm water

FOR CAKE:

2 cups Plain flour + 2 tbsp for dusting the soaked fruits

1 1/4 tsp Baking powder

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1 cup + 2 tbsp Sugar

250 gms Unsalted Butter (1 cup + 2 tbsp) at room temp

4 Eggs @ room temp

2 tsp Vanilla essence

1 tbsp Jam I used apricot

1 1/2 cups mixed nuts (I used Cashews, Walnuts and Pecans)

1 pinch salt

FOR SPICE POWDER:

2 Cloves

2 Cardamom

A small piece Cinnamon

A small piece Nutmeg

Baking Pan:

I used 10" pan - baking time 50 minutes

If you use 9" pan - baking time will be more - 70 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS

Soaking of Fruits

I used a combination of sultanas, seedless raisins, currants, dates, glazed green cherries, dry orange peel. I didn't chop the fruits & used it as such. You can use dried fruits of your choice. If you are using dates/apricots etc., chop it into small pieces & soak it. I soaked it for almost 1.5 months. Try to soak it for a minimum of 1 week, at least. Shake the jar of soaked fruits once in a while.

Caramel Preparation: (or just use 1/3 cup dark molasses)

Combine 1/2 cup sugar & 1 tbsp water in a sauce pan. Heat it & let the sugar melt. When the color of the melted sugar becomes dark brown, remove the pan from fire & add 1/4 cup warm water to this. You need to be very careful at this stage since the water tends to splash & can cause burns. Bring it back to the heat & boil for a few more mins, 3-4 mins. Remove from fire & let it cool completely. You can prepare the caramel in advance & refrigerate it. 

Spice Powder:

Grind all the spices with a pinch of sugar, to a fine powder & keep aside.

Cake Preparation:

Preheat the oven @ 180 C/ 355 F before baking.

Drain the soaked fruits & keep aside. Retain the drained liquor. 

Toss the drained fruits in 2 tbsp of flour. (This will prevent the fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake). 

Sift the plain flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Beat the eggs & add the softened butter to it. Beat it till it forms a smooth paste. 

Add powdered sugar to this, gradually. Beat after each addition. 

When it becomes smooth add vanilla essence & cooled caramel & spice powder & beat again. 

Add the sifted flour in 2 batches. Beat after each addition. 

Add jam & combine.

Fold in the soaked fruits & 4 tbsp of retained liquor. 

Grease the baking dish (refer notes) & line with baking paper. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the pre heated oven for 40-45 mins or until the skewer inserted comes out clean. The baking time can vary depending on the oven & also the size of the tin used. 10" pan - baking time 50 minutes. 9" pan - baking time 70 minutes.

At about 30 minutes of baking, cover the cake loosely with buttered aluminum foil. This will prevent the cake from getting over browned on the top.

NOTES

You can also add 1 tbsp fresh orange zest along with the dry fruits. Also, you can brush the left over rum over the top of the cake for 2-3 days.

I made 2 cakes and used both 9 inch and 10 inch round pans. You can store the cake @ room temp, in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. However you can refrigerate it for a month in an air tight container. The 4tbsp of retained rum added in the end along with the fruits, can be reduced to suit your taste. You can add anything between 1-4 tbsp or skip. If there is no retained rum left, you can brush some fresh rum or bourbon over the top of the cake too.