KERELA PLUM CAKE
KERALA PLUM CAKE (non alcoholic and eggless)
Merry Christmas 🎄⛄🎄
Indulge yourself to a delicious Christmas treat, loaded with fruits and nuts soaked in apple juice for this non alcoholic version of this moist, rich, and luscious cake… just how you would have wished your perfect fruit cake to be.
Another eventful year is coming to an end.This Christmas is different from the other years due to the pandemic . It has been a gloomy and grey year with natural disasters ,loss of lives and livelihoods ,pain and sorrow .
However, due to the pandemic , social distancing norms and lockdown , we are all staying indoors and getting more time to spend with our families , exploring new opportunities, rediscovering our hobbies interests and talents.
Every cloud has a silver lining. It's only up to us to be resilient and optimistic to sail through the storm smoothly. So let's celebrate the Lord's birthday with our families , with this rich and aromatic KERELA PLUM CAKE 🎂
It is believed that it was the British who had brought the original version of cake in which the dry fruits were soaked in alcohol , to India. A common misconception is that the plum cake is so called because it is made of the fruit 'Plum'. But actually it refers to the plumped up dry fruits which plump up from the soaking in alcohol or juice.😂
The highlight of this cake is the aroma of the spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg), and the alcohol / juice soaked fruits. The longer the fruits and nuts are soaked, the better it is as the flavours infuse well.
There is usually no icing on a traditional Christmas cake.The cake is intensely rich and moist and is a perfect balance of sweetness from the caramel syrup, dates and the dry fruits.
I have made this non-alcoholic version of the Kerela plum cake with a few twists 🎄🎄
I have used apple juice to soak the dry fruits and nuts instead of the commonly used orange juice
I have topped the cake with powdered dry fruits instead of powdered sugar
Instead of making the caramel with sugar ,I have used jaggery dissolved in lukewarm water
So here we goes the recipe of this delicious cake
🎄☃️🌟🌹🎈🎄🎁🎉🎊🎂🍫🎁🎄☃️💐
INGREDIENTS
FOR SOAKING THE DRY FRUITS AND NUTS
Apple juice _ 1cup
Dry fruits and nuts used _
Chopped Dates _ 1/2 cup
Tutti Frutti (red yellow and green ) 2tbsp
Raisins ,Almonds, cashews, pistachios _ 2tbsp each( chopped)
Mix chopped almonds, pistachios, Cashews in a bowl
Add raisins and Tutti Frutti
Mix the fruits and nuts
Remove 2tbsp of this mixture and keep aside for later use
To the rest of the dry fruits and nuts mixture add chopped dates
Soak the chopped dry fruits dates and nuts in apple juice
keep it in the fridge in glass jar for 24 hours .
SPICE POWDER _ Grind the following whole spices and sieve
Use 3/4 tsp of this powder for the recipe along with the dry ingredients
Whole spices used _ Cloves , peppercorns , cardamom, nutmeg , cinnamon( I put them in the pepper crusher and made the powder)
As I didn't have ginger powder I grated a bit of ginger and added the juice
. JAGGERY SYRUP
. soak 1/2 cup jaggery in 1cup lukewarm water just 1/2 an hour before baking the cake
3) Strain the mixture
4) Add 1.5 tbsp lemon juice + 1/3 cup oil & mix well
DRY INGREDIENTS _ Sieve and keep aside
Whole wheat flour _ 2 cups
Baking powder _ 1tsp
Baking soda _ 1/2 tsp
Spice powder _ 3/4 tsp
WET INGREDIENTS
Jaggery syrup ( room temperature)
Oil _ 1/3 cup
Lemon juice _ 1tbsp
Vanilla essence
zest of one orange
BAKING THE CAKE
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Grease and line the bottom and sides of the cake dish with parchment paper
set aside.
Drain the soaked fruits (keep the liquid aside for later use. )
To the drained fruits, add 2 tbsp flour and mix to coat the fruits( This helps preventing them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking)
. Make batter with wet and dry ingredients
( Don't over mix)
Add the flour coated dry fruits into the cake batter
Add the reserved juice
Fold in all the ingredients thoroughly with a wooden spatula and make the batter (it will have a slightly thick consistency.)
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake at 180 degree Celsius for 55 _ 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes.( Keep cake dish on the wire rack)
When the cake is cool ,gently run a knife around the edges of the pan and then unmould it.
Keep the cake to a wire rack keeping the lined parchment paper intact and let it cool completely.
Once cooled remove the paper
I soaked the dry fruits on 23rd and baked the cake on Christmas Eve as it tastes Best the next day .
MERRY CHRISTMAS
FELIZ NAVIDAD
,🎄🌟☃️🎉🌹🎈🎊🎉🎁💐🎁🎄☃️💐🎈🌹
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