Kerala Plum Cake {Non-Alcoholic}

A Kerala style plum cake with all the goodness, despite being non-alchoholic…

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When the month of December arrives, it is always as though there is a waft of freshly baked goods in the air. I do agree it is festive season for many in this month, but apart from that, the nip in the air sends very comforting vibes into ourselves and that gets magnified by the soul comforting and heart warming bakes that can get done without any hassles, thanks to the climate. I love to bake, but multiple reasons which include my children’s general disinterest towards my bakes and my weight increase has somehow limited my baking to a very large extend. I think the most amount of baking I did was when I went to visit my sister in US. I had literally baked my heart out, I could say… Even though it was summer, the weather is so comfortable that you don’t feel that hot even with a heated oven on. While my sister kept saying that it was hot, she was surprised to see that I actually loved the feeling. Hehe…

For the past few years,  I have been participating in Valli’s Bake-a-thon. It wasn’t meant to happen this year, however thanks to the interest that she received, she decided to let the series happen. Believe me, I am really happy that it is happening. I had already plans in my mind as to what theme I wanted to do, but when she replied in negative, my spirits sunk and I didn’t bake what was meant to cover up the posts for the month. As I stand now, I am almost done with my baking and still have a couple more, which I am hoping that I can complete and schedule up on the post before my days get busier this month, InShaAllah…

Did I say “theme” earlier? Let me leave you to guess the theme over the next 3 posts and maybe by then you will get an idea. 😉 Meanwhile, I will start with this recipe for this year’s version. I am also participating in the November month Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge which had the theme of Xmas Bakes. I was teamed with Preeti, with whom I am coordinating for the first time. She blogs at Cakes & Curries and has a beautiful space with lovely vegetarian recipes. I have a soft corner for halwas and her Moong Dal Halwa looks absolutely delish. Her secret ingredients for me was cloves and dried papaya, while mine for her was dry ginger and molasses – do check out what she made with these interesting pair of ingredients.

I am really not a plan of fruit cakes but my girls seem to prefer it over other cakes, especially when it is home made. Last year, I had posted the eggless version, which was such a hit with everyone who had it. Naturally my next step was to try the Kerala style plum cake. Whether it is the local bakeries or the supermarkets. the aisles would be flooded with this cake. This cake is typically stuffed with bites of glace cherries and is dense in texture. Even though there is no plum being used in this recipe, I have no clue why this cake is called so. Hehe… Usually the fruits and nuts for the cake is soaked for months in some form of alcohol, but I have soaked it in Earl Grey tea. This tea gives a lovely flavor and aroma dimension, but you can use regular brewed tea or juices like orange or apple. I feel that the spices used in this cake align well with the taste of tea.

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5 from 13 votes

Kerala Plum Cake {Non-Alcoholic}

Course Cakes and Muffins

Cuisine Kerala

Prep Time 12 hours hours

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8

Author Rafeeda AR

Ingredients

FOR SOAKING

• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped dates
• 1/4 cup glace cherries
• 1/4 cup dried papaya
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 cup brewed and cooled Earl Grey tea or any tea of choice

FOR CARAMEL

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• A pinch of salt

FOR CAKE

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 150 gm butter softened
• 3 eggs seperated
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp dried ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp clove powder

Instructions

• Combine all the fruits and nuts together and soak them in cooled Earl Grey overnight.
• Prepare caramel with the sugar and water till amber in color on low flame. Allow to cool completely. This will give 1/2 cup of caramel, roughly.
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour a large loaf pan and set aside.
• Seive together the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the butter till soft. Add the egg yolks and combine.
• Add the caramel, vanilla and spices and beat.
• Add in the dry ingredients and the soaked fruits and nuts along with all the liquid and fold in. The batter will be thick.
• In a clean bowl with a clean whisk, whip the egg whites till soft peaks.
• Add into the batter and fold in till no white specks are to be seen. Make sure not to break the nuts too much.
• Pour into the prepared pan and bake for around 50-60 minutes till skewer comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the pan for around 10 minutes when the sides come off, and then flip on to the cooling rack.
• Let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

I have soaked my fruits and nuts in Earl Grey tea for a different flavor. You can use regular black tea or orange/apple jucie for soaking, however make sure not to oversoak in juices as it may turn bitter. 

You can mix and match the fruits and nuts, though the cherries and the cashews are a given.

 

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