Traditional Kerala Christmas Cake

This cake is found in most bakeries across Kerala during the Christmas Season....loaded with dry fruits & nuts. Christmas is not complete without these yummy cakes known as "Plum Cake". Plum cakes are baked in many homes during this season & shared with friends & family.

A few important things to remember while baking this cake..

*  The color & taste of the caramel decides the taste of the cake
*  Soak the dry fruits in juice or rum for atleast a week. I soaked 1 cup of dry fruits ( red & green cherries, candied orange & lemon peel, chopped apricots, plums & raisins)
* Before adding the dry fruits & nuts to the cake batter, drain the juice (save it for later) & coat with flour. This prevents the dry fruits from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar + 1 cup sugar to caramelize
1/2 cup butter (softened)
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1/2 tsp powdered cinnammon
1 cup dry fruits (soaked in orange juice with rum extract for atleast a week)
1 cup chopped nuts

Method

Soak the dry fruits in the orange juice-rum combo & leave it for atleast a week.

Prepare the caramel by cooking some sugar in a pan on medium heat. DO NOT STIR. When the sugar melts & turns brown, add some warm water,(1/4 cup of water) 1 tsp at a time. Stir till the sugar dissolves well & turn off the heat. Let this cool while you prepare the batter.

Beat together 1 cup sugar with butter till its frothy. Add the eggs & beat well. Pour in the caramel & 1/2 of the drained juice-rum combo.

Sift together flour, baking powder & spices.

Drain the dry fruits (save the juice for later) & add them along with the nuts to the dry mixture.

Fold in the dry mixture to the rest of the batter.

Bake in a 350F pre-heated oven for approx 30 mins.

After removing the cake from the oven, make small slits on the top of the cake & pour the rest of the juice-rum combo onto the cake. Cover & let it sit for a day or two. This will enhance the taste of the cake.