Kerala Plum Cake ( Christmas Fruit Cake)

I remember I used to love christmas cakes, the one we got from Kerala Bakeries and the one mom always made for christmas.
But to be honest now I am not a huge fan of Christmas fruit cakes. And that goes to the rest of my bunch.
Hans and Shyama would much prefer if I make a traditional christmas log cake with all the cream and butter etc....
But I on the other hand always get nostalgic during this time to make one and I end up making them.
Plus point is I take the cake to my inlaws place to be shared.
Ok I know it is early for the cake as christmas is not there yet, but as traditionally on christmas day we go to my inlaws place and MIL buys from the pastry shop a christmas log, so as I am nostalgic every year for making the fruit cake , I make them ahead which I did this sunday and took to their place for coffee.
I used the same recipe which I use every year, but this time I added different dry fruits and  nuts and i played around with the spices as Hans din't like 5 spice powder.
My mil said the decoration looked like a beautiful lace :-)

 

 

 

 



Dry fruits 450 gm ( I added raisins,prunes,apricot,crystalized ginger,cherries,walnuts,almonds) all cut in small pieces.

Rum 16tbsp

Mix the above ingridients and keep in a sterilized bottle for at least a week.

Butter 160 gm
Vanilla essence 1 tbsp

Sugar 240 gm ( I added 180 gm)

Eggs 160 gm

Flour 240 gm

Baking powder 1 tsp

Soda bicarbonate 1 tsp

Cardamom 1/4 tsp

Ginger powder 1/4 tsp
Cloves 1/4 tsp
1/2 tsp All spice powder
1/4 tsp cinamon powder
1/4 tsp salt
Caramel 40 gm
1 tbsp molases.
The decoration is not a must you can serve the cake just without it.
But I love decorating the cake.
So what I did was dcovered the cake with shop bought marzipan for covering the cake.
Made a paste of powder sugar, egg whites and red color for drawing the red lines etc... plus added some red color to a bit of marzpaan but oir flowers for the decoration.
You just have to go with your liking how you want you cake to be decorated.

 

Method.
Preaheat the oven to 150°c.
Grease and baseline a 20 cm springform tin fitted with a flat base.

Cream the butter , sugar, vanilla till they are fluffy. Add then eggs one by one and beat each time.
Now to this mix add the flour, baking powder, soda bi carbonnate, and all the spice powder and then carmel water and molases. Don't beat the mixture too much just fold in till everything is mixed well.
Now to this mixture add the rum soaked fruits and fold gently.
Bake for 1 hr and 30 minutes or till the cake is baked.

I keep the cake for atleast a week before i decorate with marzipan . The taste seems to get better if you keep them for maturing for at least a week, If you have more time do that.

 

 

For the Caramel
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp water plus 1/4 cup water.
Add the sugar and 1 tbsp water in a metal pan. In a low fire melt this mix carfully making sure it doesn't burn,
Don't stir with a spoon just swril the pan when it melts and when it reaches the caramel color you want, take the pan off from the fire and take it to the zink and then pour the 1/4 cup of water and mix everything well.
Only use the carmel in the cake when it is fully cool.
Take care when you make the caramel as you can easily burn yourself with the melting sugar.