Plum Cake

Christmas Cake (Plum Cake)

Plum cake, also called as Christmas cake is a heavy cake containing so much dried fruit and usually having a covering of icing. It is made to be eaten at Christmas. It can also be called a fruit cake.

A common favorite of many is the traditional Scottish Christmas cake, the “Whisky Dundee”. The reason for naming like this is because the cake came from Dundee and is made with Scotch whisky. It is a light and crumbly cake, and light on fruit and candied peel—only currants, raisins, sultanas and cherries. Here I am going to prepare non-alcohol Christmas cake, also known as plum cake.

Ingredients for Plum cake

To Soak:

Black raisins – 1/2 cup
Cherry – 1/2 cup (canned)
Tutti frutti – 1/2 cup
Mixed nut – 1/2 cup (Cashews, Walnuts and Almonds)
Grape juice – 1 cup

Caramel Syrup

Sugar – 1/4 cup
Water – 1/8 cup
Boiling Water – 1/4 cup

Spices & other ingredients to grind

Cinnamon powder – 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Sugar – 1 cup
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

For Cake batter

Butter – 1/2 cup
Egg – 2
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Vanilla extract – 1.5 tsp

Directions

Pre-preparation

Soak all the ingredients in grape juice for at least 2 days.
Grind all the spice ingredients in a mixie.
Keep butter in room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften it.
Pre-heat the oven to 350℉.

Caramel syrup preparation

Take a pan and add 1/4 cup sugar.
Pour 1/8 cup of water and heat in full flame.
Stir occasionally.
Boil 1/4 cup water in another pan simultaneously.
Once color changes to amber (see picture) switch off flame then add boiling water.
Stir to mix well.
Caramel Syrup ready.

Cake batter preparation

Take a mixing bowl and crack 2 egg then beat well.
Now add the ground spice and mix well.
Then add the softened butter and beat once again.
Add the flour and mix well.
Now pour caramel syrup and mix again.
Finally add the soaked ingredients with its juice.
Mix carefully with spatula.
Grease the pan with butter and transfer the batter to two 9 * 1.5 inch size round pan.

Bake the cake

Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes to one hour.
Insert the tooth pick to check whether cake completely cooked or not.
Take out the cake and allow it to cool down.
Invert the cake in to a plate and slice them.
Serve the cake in a plate.

Notes

I’m using two 9 * 1.5 inch pan. If you are having 9 * 3 inch pan, one pan is enough for this batter.
It would take full 1 hour to bake if you use 9 * 3 inch pan.
If you don’t want black raisins, use golden raisins.
Also you can use bakery cherry instead of canned cherry.