Xmas Fruit Cake/ Kerala Plum Cake

 












Ingredients:

For Soaking:

1. Mixed fruits – 3 cups
   Rum/Brandy – 1.5 cups (I used dark rum)

For Caramel:                                        

1. Sugar – 1/2 cup
   Water – 1 tbsp
2. Warm water – 1/4 cup

For Cake:

1. Plain flour (maida) – 2 cups
   Baking powder – 1 1/4 tsp
   Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
2. Sugar – 1 cup+ 2 tbsp
3. Unsalted Butter – 250 gms (1 cup + 2 tbsp, approx) @ room temp
4. Eggs – 4 @ room temp
5. Vanilla essence – 2 tsp
6. Jam – 1 tbsp (I used apricot)

For Spice Powder:
Cloves – 2
Cardamom – 2
Cinnamon – a small piece
Nutmeg – a small piece

Method of preparation:

 

Soaking of Fruits
I used a combination of sultanas, seedless raisins,currants & candied orange & lemon 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:
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 for 10-15 mins, before baking.
Drain the soaked fruits & keep aside. Retain 4 tbsp from the drained liquor. Toss the drained fruits in 1-2 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. Powder the sugar & keep aside. Separate the yolks & white of the eggs. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Keep aside. Beat the egg yolks & 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 beaten egg whites in 2 parts & combine till no white streaks are visible. 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 tins. 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.