Plum Cake – Kerala Fashion (No Eggs, No Alcohol, Complete Wheat)

My Kerala type Plum Cake recipe is a caramel primarily based tasty fruit cake made with out eggs or alcohol. Bonus – this scrumptious Christmas favourite can be vegan and made with entire wheat flour, making it a healthful deal with the entire household can take pleasure in.

About Plum Cake Recipe

We love fruit truffles; it’s no marvel, then, that I have already got two eggless fruit truffles posted on the weblog – my Wine Cake and the traditional Fruit Cake (made with rum).

One main distinction between this Kerala plum cake recipe and the opposite fruit truffles is the addition of caramel. This not solely offers a pleasant brown shade to the cake, however it additionally provides a variety of depth and taste.

To make the caramel syrup for this Kerala plum cake, I checked the tactic on Nag’s Weblog. Making ready caramel is just not troublesome, so don’t fear! Simply prepare dinner the sugar and water on a low flame and preserve stirring usually.

I used packaged natural clear apple juice and 100% entire wheat flour (atta) for this Kerala type plum cake. I used to be additionally considered with my use of added sugar and oil.

The pure sweetness of the dates, golden raisins and black currants used within the plum cake is a beautiful counterpoint to the wealthy, nutty cake.

Whilst you ought to be at liberty to make use of the dried fruits and nuts of your alternative, don’t skip the candied orange peels; they offer pretty bitter-sweet notes in some bites, which makes savoring the cake all of the extra pleasant.

My Kerala plum cake is made with out alcohol, which I swap for both recent orange juice or apple juice.

Soaking the dry fruits in a single day plumps them up so they’re good and juicy; the added sweetness additionally helps to compensate for a decrease sugar content material on this wholesome bake.

This recipe yields about 1 kilogram of sentimental, moist plum cake. I’ve used an 8-inch spherical pan, however you should utilize a 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 loaf pan when you favor.

Step-by-Step Information

Easy methods to Make Plum Cake

Soak Nuts and Dried Fruits

1. Take all of the dried fruits and nuts in a bowl. I favor to rinse them in water after which drain them very nicely, however you may skip this step.

I used a mixture of the next dried fruits and nuts:

• ½ cup dates or 7 small to medium-sized dates, 100 grams (weight measured with the stones/seeds)
• ¼ cup cashews
• 2 tablespoons almonds
• ¼ cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons black currants (with out seeds)
• 2 tablespoons pistachios
• 8 to 10 glazed cherries or 8 to 10 canned cherries with out the syrup
• 40 to 45 grams candied orange peels (In the event you don’t have a weighing balance then rinse the candied peels first. Finely chop and measure to get about ¼ cup of finely chopped candied orange peels.)

You possibly can add the nuts and dried fruits of your alternative. Different yummy strategies are: dried apricots, figs, pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts or numerous dried berries.

2. Finely chop all the nuts and fruits and acquire in a mixing bowl. Be happy to cut the fruits and nuts in a meals processor or meals chopper for sooner outcomes.

Bigger chunks will make your plum cake crumbly whereas slicing, so make them as small as attainable.

Be aware: If utilizing dates with stones, then make sure you discard the stones. In the event you use a meals processor, then add roughly chopped dates with the opposite nuts and dry fruits earlier than chopping.

3. Add 1 cup apple juice. The apple juice that we want is the flowing, skinny, clear, clear apple juice stocked in shops.

Be aware: In a pinch, you may also use Contemporary Apple Juice, however since do-it-yourself apple juice has a variety of pulp, improve to 1.5 cups recent apple juice.

4. Combine very nicely. Enable the fruits to soak – lined within the fridge – for a day.

Whether or not you employ packaged apple juice or recent apple juice, don’t preserve the dry fruits soaking at room temperature. Combine and instantly refrigerate.

5. The picture beneath reveals the fruit and nuts after soaking – you may see how a lot quantity they achieve. Deliver this combination to room temperature earlier than you proceed with the plum cake recipe.

Put together Caramel Answer

6. In a saucepan, take ½ cup sugar (100 grams) and a couple of tablespoons water. I used uncooked sugar. You possibly can simply use white sugar.

Be aware: It’s also possible to use brown sugar or jaggery as a substitute of making ready the caramel answer. Merely dissolve the jaggery or brown sugar in 1 cup water and proceed to step 18.

7. Combine and stir very nicely. Place the pan on the stovetop over a low warmth.

8. Deliver the sugar answer to a boil over low warmth. You will note the combination effervescent initially, as proven within the picture beneath.

9. Proceed to prepare dinner, stirring usually.

10. At one level it’ll look as if the sugar is getting crystallized.

11. Proceed to prepare dinner and stir ceaselessly.

12. The pale brown shade stays for some time, as you may see within the picture beneath.

13. Proceed to prepare dinner and stir. Ultimately you will note the colour altering to a darkish brown.

14. This shade signifies the caramelization course of has began. Since I used to be additionally dealing with the digicam, I ended right here to forestall the caramel from getting burnt.

The colour ought to develop into a bit darker and additionally, you will get a deep caramel aroma.

15. Take away the pan from the stovetop and place it on a heatproof pad on the countertop.

Instantly add 1 cup water to the caramel, being very cautious to not burn your self because the combination splutters.

16. The caramel will harden as quickly as you add the water. Place the saucepan again on the stovetop over a low flame.

Deliver to a mild simmer and stir usually till all of the hardened caramel is dissolved.

17. Let the liquid caramel answer cool utterly, then filter it utilizing a tea strainer or a tremendous mesh strainer and preserve apart.

You possibly can see the impurities from the unrefined uncooked sugar within the image beneath.

18. As soon as the caramel answer has cooled, add ⅓ cup oil. I used olive oil. It’s also possible to use sunflower oil or melted butter.

If utilizing melted butter, then add it when the caramel answer continues to be heat.

19. Completely combine the oil with the caramel answer.

20. Subsequent add 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice, apple cider vinegar or common white vinegar. Combine once more completely.

Make Batter

21. Grease an 8 inch spherical pan very nicely with oil or butter. Preheat your oven at 180 levels celsius(356 levels Fahrenheit) for quarter-hour earlier than you bake the cake.

22. Sift collectively the next elements:

• 2 cups entire wheat flour/atta (240 grams)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
• ⅛ teaspoon clove powder
• ½ teaspoon cardamom powder (non-compulsory)

Be aware: It’s also possible to add ¼ teaspoon allspice powder and ¼ teaspoon ginger powder.

23. Sift all of the dry elements by way of a sieve. Put aside.

24. Subsequent add the soaked fruit, nuts and juice combination to the sifted dry elements.

25. Utilizing a spatula, combine calmly being cautious to not overwork the combination. You don’t need any gluten strands forming within the batter combine.

26. Add the caramel answer.

27. Add all the caramel answer in a single go.

28. Now fold the flour elements with the caramel answer. Don’t combine. To see how folding is completed, you may test my Eggless Banana Bread YouTube video.

29. Fold to a clean batter. If the batter seems too thick, then you may add some extra water.

Bake Plum Cake

30. Pour the batter within the ready pan. Gently shake and faucet the pan to even out the batter.

31. Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake the cake at 180 levels celsius (356 levels Fahrenheit) for 1 to 1.25 hours. If the highest browns too shortly, then cowl it with an aluminum foil or parchment paper and proceed to bake.

Baking time varies with numerous manufacturers and fashions of ovens, so make sure you preserve a watchful eye over your plum cake. In case you take away the cake and discover that it has not totally baked, merely return the pan to the oven and proceed to bake.

A picket skewer ought to come out largely clear and dry if the cake is correctly baked. There can be some moisture from the dry fruits on the skewer, however there shouldn’t be any sticky cake batter on it. It’s best to see solely tremendous crumbs.

Cool the plum cake within the pan on a wire rack till it’s room temperature.

32. Right here’s the bottom of the plum cake. As you may see, I used to be in a rush and eliminated it from the pan whereas it was nonetheless sizzling, leading to a crack on the bottom.

To keep away from cracking, gently take away the cake from the pan ONLY when it has cooled to room temperature.

33. In the event you had been impatient like me, you may sift some powdered sugar on prime of the cake to cover the cracks. 🙂

Slice and serve the Kerala type plum cake, ideally with a cup of tea or espresso. Take pleasure in!

Storing and Serving Strategies

The plum cake cake may also be refrigerated. It retains good for 10 to 12 days within the fridge. I lower the cake in slices and saved them in an hermetic field.

Function a dessert or a candy snack together with your Christmas meals. It’s also possible to benefit from the plum cake with a facet of espresso, espresso, milk, tea or sizzling cocoa.

Knowledgeable Suggestions

• Apple juice: For soaking, you should utilize 1 cup packaged clear apple juice (ideally with out preservatives) or 1.5 cups do-it-yourself recent apple juice. However ensure to soak the dry fruits & nuts, then instantly refrigerate it and never preserve it at room temperature.
• Nuts and dry fruits: You possibly can range the amount and add nuts and dry fruits of your alternative or no matter is out there to you. Another good choices are combined dried berries, hazelnuts, pine nuts, pecans, dried apricots, figs, dates. Guarantee discarding the seeds, if utilizing dates.
• Sweetener: Rather than the caramel answer, you may also use jaggery or brown sugar or uncooked sugar. Dissolve the selection of sweetener in 1 cup water and proceed accordingly.
• Spices: Together with all of the talked about spices on this recipe, you may also add dried ginger powder and all-spice powder. Add ¼ teaspoon of those.
• Acidic ingredient: For this, you should utilize any of those – common white vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
• Baking: The temperatures range in numerous ovens. When the cake is baking, do preserve a test however don’t open the oven door many occasions as this could sink the cake. Solely open when ¾ of the cake is completed and if you see the highest crust, properly golden and baked.
• Scaling: This recipe can simply be halved or doubled to make for small or giant parts of this tasty cake.

FAQs

Extra Eggless Cake Recipes To Attempt!

Please make sure you fee the recipe within the recipe card or go away a remark beneath in case you have made it. For extra vegetarian inspirations, Signal Up for my emails or comply with me on Instagram, Youtube, Fb, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Kerala Fashion Plum Cake recipe from the archives first revealed in December 2015 has been up to date and republished on December 2023.