Plum cake/ Christmas cake.
Enjoy the goodness of this super yummy traditional plum cake/ Christmas fruit cake . നമ്മുടെ സ്വന്തം പ്ലം കേക്ക് വീട്ടിൽ തന്നെ തയ്യാറാക്കാം. ഇനി പ്ലം കേക്ക് തയ്യാറാകാൻ അറിയില്ല എന്ന് ആരും പറയല്ലേ.
Ingredients
1 cup red grape wine,
1 & 1/2 cups mixed dry fruits, tutti fruiti, chopped dates
1 & 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup hot water.
2 cups of maida/ all purpose flour
2 tbsp maida
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 &1/2 tsp baking powder
4 cardomom, small cinnamon stick
& 2 cloves powdered
grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp
4 eggs, kept in room temperature
2 sticks of softened unsalted butter (225gms)
1 tsp orange zest
4-5 drops of vanilla essence
(if you are using vanilla extract, add 1 tsp)
1/2 cup cashewnuts broken into pieces
Method
Transfer wine into a clean, dry wide bottle.Then add mixed dry fruits, tutti fruiti
& dates into the wine & mix well. place the lid & close the bottle &
keep it aside in a cool dark place. You can soak these dry fruits in wine for a month
before using or atleast for 1 week if you have no time. Every 2-3 days, give a good mix using a dry spoon. You can use orange juice to soak
the dry fruits instead of wine. If you are using orange juice, you need to soak only for 24 hours.
When you are ready for making the cake, Drain the dry fruits & save the wine. Add 2 tbsp of maida / all purpose flour
to the dry fruits & mix well. This process will prevent dry fruits settling down while baking.
To get the perfect color for our cake,
we need to caramelize sugar. Add 1/2 cup sugar to a pan. I have taken 3/4 cup of hot water to make this caramelized sugar syrup. From the 3/4 th cup of hot water
add 4-5 tbsp of water to the sugar. Turn on the flame & mix the sugar well
till the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, do not mix anymore. When Sugar syrup starts boiling & changing its color, keep the flame on low. When Sugar syrup has become dark brown in color,
turn off the flame. Now add the remaining hot water to the sugar syrup one spoon at a time. Be careful as the sugar syrup could
splash if you are adding too much water at a time. Let the sugar syrup cool down completely.
For dry ingredients,
Add 2 cups of maida/
all purpose flour to a sieve or strainer, add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda,
1 &1/2 tsp baking powder, 4 cardomom, small cinnamon stick& 2 cloves powdered, grated nutmeg 1/2 tsp. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients well & keep it aside.
For wet ingredients,
Take 4 eggs, kept in room temperature. Separate egg white & yolk into separate bowls. Beat the egg white until stiff & keep it aside.
Into the egg yolks add 1 cup sugar powdered & Mix well. Add 2 sticks of softened unsalted butter (225gms) & mix well. Add 1 tsp orange zest, 4-5 drops of vanilla essence
(if you are using vanilla extract, add 1 tsp). Mix all the wet ingredients well with a beater until it gets creamy. To this mix, add dry ingredients
in small portions at a time. Mix gently with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Add caramelized sugar syrup & mix well. Add beaten egg whites in portions & fold it with a spatula.
Add 1/2 cup cashewnuts broken into pieces & the dry fruits & mix well.
Add 2 tbsp of wine that was used
for soaking the dry fruits & mix well. Now Cake batter is ready.
Grease the baking pan with butter. Line the sides & the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Transfer the cake batter into the
baking pan & smooth out the top using spatula. Preheat oven at 360 fahrenheit or
180 degree centigrade for 10-15 minutes. Then Bake at 360 degree fahrenheit or
180 degree centigrade for 45-55 minutes. Timings may vary depending on the oven. When Cake is baked to its perfection, remove from the oven.
To check if cake is baked, insert a skewer
in the center of the cake, & the skewer should come out clean.
Remove the parchment paper &
place cake on a wire rack to cool down.
Our super delicious yummy perfect
Christmas cake or plum cake is ready. Enjoy!!
