Rich Plum Cake is a popular buttery pound cake with caramel syrup, spices, dry fruits, and nuts, made around Christmas time, mainly in Kerala, India. Not sure about the origin history of the plum cake, but assuming it was brought to India by the British(or)Portugal during the colonization. These days Plum cake is available in all Indian Bakeries. The name plum cake refers to the plumped fruits and nuts soaked in alcohol for several days. As the days pass the flavor of the cake develops as well. So I like to bake the cake couple of days before if I am gifting it to someone.

Traditionally Plum cake is loaded with fruits, nuts and alcohol. Rather than the traditional plum cake, I like the ones with one nut and one fruit as sold at the local bakery in my hometown. If you prefer more fruits and nuts in your cake simply add as many as you like.

Rich Plum cake is very nostalgic food for me. I still remember the scene my dad buying the plum cake from the bakery when I was a kid. Usually, kids choose cakes with creams and frosting, but for me it was always plum cake. There are no words to explain my love for this cake.

I had read it somewhere that Christmas plum cake is made two weeks before Christmas and then rubbed with alcohol until Christmas day. One day I want to try the month-long version of Christmas cake before that here is my last-minute Christmas cake recipe/Rich Plum cake recipe. This Rich Plum Cake recipe is the result of several days of research and countless failures. I hope you try my plum cake recipe and share it with your friends and family!

Ingredients:

For Caramel Syrup:

• 1 cup White sugar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water (Start with 1/4 cup, if the sugar crystal remain solid, add another 1/4 cup)

Fruit Cake:

• 3 – large Egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 – large egg white, at room temperature
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup soft room temperature butter (or) 1/3 cup soft butter + 30 ml of oil (oil keeps the cake moist)
• 150 g cake flour (or) AP flour(bleached) + 2tbsp of flour for dusting the dry fruits and nuts.
• 1/2 cup White sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp rum essence(optional)
• 1 tsp baking powder

 Spice mix :

• 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/8 tsp ginger powder
• 1/8 tsp cardamom powder

Fruits and Nuts:

• 1/2 cup candied cherries cut each cherry into four halves
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Cake mold:

• 8″x4″ Rectangle pan

Procedure:

Step 1: Caramel Syrup:

1. In a medium-size saucepan, spread the sugar evenly and turn on the stove to medium-low.
2. Allow the sugar to caramelize until it reaches dark chestnut color. 
3. While the sugar is caramelizing, don’t use a spoon or spatula to mix. If required, hold the pan and swirl.
4. When the sugar has fully caramelized, carefully add the water and mix well using a spatula or spoon.  
5. Don’t panic if the sugar crystallizes and becomes a big lump. Keep stirring until there are no solid sugar particles. 
6. Start with 1/4 cup of water if required, increase the water little by little.
7. Let the caramelized sugar syrup cool fully. 
8. The Sugar syrup thickens as it cools. If it becomes solid, don’t worry, add some water and reheat.

Step 2: Plum Cake:

1. Mix the baking powder and salt with flour. Sift the flour keep it ready.
2. Separate the egg white and yolks and put them in two different bowls.
3. In a Mixing bowl, cream half of the sugar and butter until soft and fluffy.
4. Add in vanilla, rum essence, and an egg yolk one at a time and blend until pale in color. Then, add the sugar syrup and mix well.
5. To make the meringue, In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites for a minute. While blending, gradually add in the white sugar. Continue to whisk egg white and sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
6. Take a quarter of the meringue to add to the bowl with egg yolk batter and gently mix well. Sift 1/4 of the flour into the bowl with egg yolk and gently mix without any lumps.
7. Alternatively, add in the meringue and flour and mix well. Make sure not to overmix. 
8. Combine the fruit and nut with some flour and mix with the fruit cake batter.
9. Transfer the fruit cake batter to a cake loaf pan and bake it in the oven preheated for 350 Fahrenheit, for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Suggestions: 

1. The spice mix, fruit and nut were chosen to my liking. You can add more or less as you like.
2. Can also fruits and nuts like cashews, currants, raisins, candied citrus peel, dates, prunes
3. Chop the fruits and nuts and soak them in rum or brandy or orange juice(for alcohol-free) for two days to a week.
4. If you like, allow the cake to cool and brush the cake with brandy or dark rum. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap to keep the cake moist and store it in a dry place. Brush the cake with alcohol for a week or so.
5. With time the flavor of the fruit cake multiplies. Serve at least three days later from baking.

Summary

Recipe Name

Old-fashioned Christmas fruit Cake

Author

Swaana

Date

2021-04-07

Prep Time

30M

Cook Time

90M

Total Time

120M