Alcoholic Christmas Plum Cake (with eggs)

You guys might be thinking that Pradeepa is on a roll 🙂 Yes I am to be very honest. Getting a chance to bake a lot of cakes these days. So I’m trying my hand at various versions. I am a big fan of Kerala style plum cakes and have many versions of it on my blog. But this year I have tried my hands at the authentic rum soaked cake too. And I must say what a lovely flavour. Right now I do not have a picture of the sliced cake, but I can share a few slices of a chotu cake that I made for us with the leftover batter 🙂

I have made a couple of cakes this year using this recipe and trust me it tastes divine. Loaded with dried fruits and nuts, every bite is a bliss. It is not overly sweet, neither does it crumble and you can cut it into neat pieces. Feel free to add or omit any fruit or nut. Use good quality ingredients and ensure that everything is at room temperature. Invest on a good weighing scale so that all measurements are accurate.

Merry Christmas and a very happy new year to all.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 125 gm
• Salt a pinch
• Brown sugar 75 gm
• Jaggery 25 gm
• Eggs 3
• Vanilla extract 1 tsp
• Dark treacle 2-3 tbsp
• Orange juice 3-4 tbsp
• Butter 80 gms
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Cashew 40 gm
• Almonds 40 gm
• Walnuts 40 gm
• Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp
• Nutmeg powder 2 pinch
• Clove powder 1/8 tsp
• Orange zest 1 tbsp
• Fruits soaked in rum 350-375 gms

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 160-170 degree Celsius for around ten minutes.
• Grease an eight inch round cake tin with butter and line the base and sides with parchment paper.
• Dry roast the cashews, almonds and walnuts and chop it finely.
• Cream the butter, sugar and jaggery till it’s soft and fluffy.
• Add the eggs one at a time and beat it till it’s light and airy.
• To this mixture, now add the extract, treacle, orange zest and oil.
• Sieve the flour along with the spice powders and rising agents for two times.
• Measure the required amount of soaked dry fruits and strain it to drain the excess liquid. (Mine was soaked just recently, so didn’t get to drain any liquid). You can use the drained liquid instead of the orange juice while mixing the batter to get the desired consistency.
• Add the finely chopped nuts into this and mix.
• From the sieved dry ingredients, transfer 2-3 tablespoons into the fruit mixture. Mix well to coat the soaked dried fruits and nuts with flour so that they do not sink to the bottom while baking.
• Scoop the dry ingredients into the butter mixture using the drained liquid or orange juice.
• Add the dried fruits into the batter and fold gently. Do not over mix.
• Transfer the batter into the prepared cake tin and level the top. Tap the tin on the counter to remove air bubbles if any.
• Bake for 60-80 minutes or till a skewer or toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Remove the tin from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
• Cool the cake completely. You can brush the top and sides with rum for a longer shelf life.
• Wrap the cake in butter paper and then cover with an aluminium foil and store in a cool and dark place.
• You can brush the cake with rum every 6-7 days for a more boozy flavour.
• Slice and enjoy this Kerala plum cake this season 🙂
• Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!

Notes:

• I have used a mixture of black raisins, golden raisins, cranberries, black currants, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, candied cherry, dehydrated fruits like kiwi, strawberry etc, dates, apricots, peach, prunes and figs.
• Please search the blog for the recipe of dark treacle.
• Don’t skip the oil. The oil, though a tablespoon, but it helps to keep the cake moist.
• The taste of this cake develops as it matures. Tastes best when sliced after 2-3 days of baking.