Plum Cake Recipe with step by step images and video.
Plum Cake also populary known as fruit cake is a Christmas special Cake. It is dark, intense cake made by soaking dry fruits in liquor or in fresh orange juice. Also this boozy dark cake is additionally loaded with nuts and flavoured with orange zest and freshly pounded warm spices to make this a wholesome cake full of bites.
In India, plum cake is served around Christmas season . Wish all my readers a Merry Christmas !
What is Traditional Plum Cake ?
Plum Cake refers to a range of fruit cakes made with either dried fruit or with fresh fruit. Mixed dry fruits are steeped in liquour for overnight or upto 1 week and then folded into cake batter and baked in a very low temperature along with water bath , to get a moist and flavourful cake.
If you dont want to use alcohol in this recipe then you can replace it with orange or apple juice. Though adding fresh orange juice yields good result for a non alcholic boozy flavour , apple juice works well.
Though plum cake is originated from England , crossing seas it has reached every corner of the world. Every country, region and family has adapted this recipe to suit their taste along with availability of ingredients. Some are made with nuts soaked in rum or brandy and some are fed with sherry for weeks after being baked, and some have no alcohol at all.
This post shares my version of fail proof Plum Cake Recipe which I'm almost baking since 2 decades.
In India, plum cake is served around Christmas season . If you are looking for more Christmas recipes , then do check these following recipes
- Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Walnut Cake
- Vanilla Cup Cakes
- Lamingtons
- Tres Leches
- Ragi Almond Cookies
- Wholewheat Butter Cookies
RECIPE CARD FOR PLUM CAKE | FRUIT CAKE
Plum Cake | Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For Soaking
- ¼ Cup Raisins
- ¼ Cup Dates
- ¼ Cup Cranberries
- ¼ Cup Apricots
- 2-3 Tbsp Rum or Orange
For Cake Batter
- ½ Cup Butter - unsalted
- 1 Cup Caster Sugar - Brown or White
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour - Maida
- 1 Tsp Baking powder
- ¼ Tsp Baking soda
- ½ Tsp Salt
- 1.5 Tsp Spice Powder
- ¼ Cup Caramel Syrup
For Spice Powders
- ½ Tsp Cinnamon Powder - Dalchini
- ¼ Tsp Nutmeg powder
- ¼ Tsp Cloves - Laung , powdered
- ½ Tsp Dry ginger powder
For Carmel Sauce
- ¼ Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbsp water
- ¼ Cup warm water
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Essence
For Folding
- 1 Tbsp Orange Zest / Peel
- ⅓ Cup Mixed Nuts - Cashews , Almonds , Pista
- Soaked Fruits & Nuts mixed with 1 Tbsp of All Purpose flour
Instructions
For Soaking
- Soak all chopped dry fruits in 2 Tbsp of Rum or orange Juice. Soak overnight or for 1to 2 days.
- Next day dry fruits soaks up all juices , gently mix everything and set aside.
For Caramel Syrup
- On a medium heat, heat ¼ cup sugar with 2 tbsp water.
- Sugar bubbles and dissolves in water then crystallizes, keep stirring continuously until it starts to caramalize and color changes from light brown to dark brown.
- Once color turns dark remove from heat , Turn off stove. Pour ¼ cup of warm water, Be carefull while adding water as it sizzels and splutters .
- To this add vanilla essence, stir well and Keep aside. Caramel syrup is ready to use.
To make Cake
- In a mixing bowl , add ½ Cup Butter and 1 cup castor sugar either white or brown .
- Beat butter and sugar untill it turns creamy.
- Now break in 1 Egg and beat untill it turns light anf frothy.
- Add eggs 1 by 1 and beat until its light and frothy.
- Now add prepared caramel syrup and beat untill everything is well incorporated.
- Sieve All purpose flour, spice powder , baking powder, baking soda and salt together .
- Add all dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
- Gently mix everythng following cut and fold pattern.
- Coat soaked dry fruits and nuts with 1 Tbsp of all purpose flour . This is done to ensure that dry fruits does not sink to bottom while baking.
- Add flour coated dry fruits , nuts and orange zest to the cake batter and mix well gently following cut fold pattern.
- Line the baking loaf pan with parchment paper, pour the cake batter.
- Sprinkle some nuts on top and bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg Celsius.
- Bake for about 48 - 50 minutes or till the knife/ tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean.
- Transfer baked cake on to a wired rack , once it cools down , cut into thick slices and serve.
Video
Notes
- You can soak dry fruits in rum for 24 hrs to 1 week.
- Keep a cup water in a oven while baking to avoid sinking of cake in the center and to prevent cake from going dry.
- Sprinkling nuts over cake batter wasn't helpful for me.
Step by step directions to make Plum Cake
For Caramel Syrup
On a medium heat, heat ¼ cup sugar with 2 tbsp water.
Sugar bubbles and dissolves in water then crystallizes, keep stirring continuously until it starts to caramalize and color changes from light brown to dark brown.
Once color turns dark remove from heat , Turn off stove. Pour ¼ cup of warm water, Be carefull while adding water as it sizzels and splutters .
To this add vanilla essence, stir well and Keep aside. Caramel syrup is ready to use.
To make Cake
In a mixing bowl , add ½ Cup Butter and 1 cup castor sugar either white or brown .
Beat butter and sugar untill it turns creamy.
Now break in 1 Egg and beat untill it turns light anf frothy.
Add eggs 1 by 1 and beat until its light and frothy.
Now add prepared caramel syrup and beat untill everything is well incorporated.
Sieve All purpose flour, spice powder , baking powder, baking soda and salt together .
Add all dry ingredients into wet ingredients.
Gently mix everythng following cut and fold pattern.
Coat soaked dry fruits and nuts with 1 Tbsp of all purpose flour . This is done to ensure that dry fruits does not sink to bottom while baking.
Add flour coated dry fruits , nuts and orange zest to the cake batter and mix well gently following cut fold pattern.
Line the baking loaf pan with parchment paper, pour the cake batter.
Sprinkle some nuts on top and bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg Celsius.
Bake for about 48 - 50 minutes or till the knife/ tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean.
Very nice cake..the caramel solidifies very easily after alittle color change.am not getting that dark brown color....is there any alternative for it?..
प्रभावी !!!
शुभकामना
आर्यावर्त
Hey Soumi,
Keep on low heat once it start getting dark brown colour,remove from heat and add 1/4 cup of warm water and stir well.It doesn't get solidify,if at all it happens stir so that solidified caramel syrup gets dissolved.
Hello! what size is the loaf pan?
thanks.
I have used 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch loaf pan , standard size.