Delicious traditional Kerala Style rich fruit cake made with dry fruits and nuts soaked in rum. This is Christmas Tradition.
Wishing all my readers and Friends a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Hope everybody joined the family and friends for this Christmas. Day before yesterday we went out for seeing Christmas lights in the nearby zoo. It was really fun, my daughter toughly enjoyed for about hour. Little one was fine till the lights visit, and he started crying while the way back home.
Here on the Christmas Eve, even the climate is really good at around 79 °F and forecasters are predicting that we are going to get a rainy Christmas, while the majority of the country is going to get snowy Christmas. We are going to enjoy the weather, when it is good. How about you guys?
In India it is already Christmas day. Christmas in India mainly people going to church and enjoying the best home cooked food, and would celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Here also within in a few hours it is going to be Christmas and everybody would be ready to unwrap the Christmas presents and enjoy the delicious food.
Every year I try to make a Christmas delicacy from my home town, like plum cake/Rich fruit cake, Acchappam/ Kerala style Rosette cookies and Kuzhulappam/Rice flour cannoli. I have finished cake till now. I need to make some rosette style cookies and cannoli. I think I will finish it by the end of the year.
However I made Finnish Christmas bread Joulimmpu, gingerbread cookies, chocolate brazil nut cookies and fruit cake ice box cookies.
For making the plum cake I used my new bundt pan gifted by my hubby. I added less alcohol and use more dry fruits, like, fruit cake mix, currants, dates, cranberries, apricots, nuts like, cashew, almond, Brazil nuts. I thought of using pistachio however drop the idea after seeing lots of chopped nuts in the end. This time I used Rum and increased baking powder and added baking soda. Soaked the dry fruits in ½ cup water and ½ cup Plantation rum for about 5 days and made this cake. It is delicious and soft. If you are looking for the hard fruit cake that is used for throwing, this is not the one. I changed this fruit cake from the earlier version that is why I am writing it as one recipe. Here comes the recipe.
First grab the ingredients from pantry, chop the dry fruits and soak them in rum and water mix for 5 days.
On the day of baking smear the nuts with almond extract and set aside.
Make caramel syrup.
Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices and set aside.
Separate egg whites and yolks and beat egg white and set aside.
Cream butter, sugar and add vanilla extract, egg yolks, orange juice and caramel syrup and combine everything. Then gradually add flour and mix everything. To this add dry fruits and nuts and finally fold in egg whites.
Transfer the batter to prepared cake tin and bake for about 1 hour at 350F.
Once cake is done allow to cool in the cake tin for about 45 minutes.
Then slice and enjoy.
Plum cake/ Rich Fruit Cake
Delicious traditional rum soaked dry fruit and nut cake made during Christmas in Kerala, India.
Servings: 15
Calories: 369kcal
Ingredients
- Soaking
- 1 cup Assorted dry fruits cake mix strawberry, papaya, kiwi and pineapple (finely chopped)
- ⅓ cup Raisins
- ⅓ cup Cranberries
- ½ cup Dates chopped finely
- ½ cup Dry apricot 9 no chopped finely
- ¼ cup Dry Mango 5 no chopped finely
- ½ cup Rum : ½ cup I used Plantation Rum
- 3 ¾ cup Total dry fruit and ; fruit cake mix:
- I used 2 ¾ cup of this mixture for the cake
- Nuts smeared with almond essence
- ¼ cup Almond Chopped finely
- ¼ cup Cashew Chopped finely
- ¼ cup Brazil nut chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon Almond extract
- Batter
- 2 cup All purpose flour
- 15 tablespoon Butter less than 1 tablespoon from 2 sticks
- 1 ⅓ cup Granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 3 Egg yolk at room temperature
- 3 Egg whites at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅓ cup Orange juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Caramel syrup
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar: ¼ cup
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon Water
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon juice
- Spice powder
- 1 teaspoon Caraway Seeds ground
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon Ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Chop all the dry fruits including nuts into small pieces and soak them in Rum for at least one day advance. I soaked for them for 5 days. Smear the nuts with almond essence and keep it aside.
- To make caramel syrup take ¼ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water in heavy bottom pan and heat it until sugar melts and change cherry brown color. Add few drops of lemon juice to prevent crystallization of sugar. It took about 7 minutes for me. Transfer the pan with sugar to kitchen sink and immediately add ½ cup of cold water (Be careful with this step, otherwise serious burn can results) for easy cleaning. Keep aside and add only cold caramel syrup to batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a10 inch Bundt pan then butter and flour the pan.
- Sift together flour, salt, baking powder , baking soda and spice powder in a bowl and keep aside.
- Separate egg whites and yolk. In a bowl beat egg whites using a hand mixer until you get white peaks and keep aside.
- In an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed, until everything mix well and incorporated. Add egg yolk one at a time to sugar butter mixture and mix well. Then add vanilla extract , orange juice and caramel syrup (½ cup) mix everything and combined well. Add slowly flour-salt-baking soda and baking powder -spice powder mix in small quantities and incorporate everything. Scrape down the sides of bowl once at twice. Stop the mixer and fold egg whites gently until no white streaks visible.
- Finally drain the soaked fruits and add nuts and 2 tablespoon of all purpose flour and mix well. And fold in fruits and nuts into the batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and smoothen the tops with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean.
- Cool the cake in pan for 15 minutes and later invert them and cool completely for 45 minutes. Keep cake one or two days before serving.
Notes
Modified from my earlier recipe Variations:
If you don’t want alcohol, use orange juice or apple juice.
If you don’t want alcohol, use orange juice or apple juice.
Nutrition
Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 984IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!
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This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Amy Liu Dong says
One of the most delicious desserts to make for Christmas, and I am drooling to taste this!
Mandy Applegate says
I loved the flavours of Kerala when I visited so this fruit cake was perfect for me!
Janani says
wow look at the cake it looks delicious perfect christmas look.
Priya says
Droolworthy and super beautiful christmas cake Swathi, highly irresistible.
Reeni Pisano says
That is a beautiful fruit cake Swathi! My Dad would love it. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!
Gauri says
Did not get around making a cake this year but after looking at this one I have to make one next year!! Too tempting and mouthwatering!
Archana Potdar says
Wow! I am dizzy imagining the amount of work involved. Love it though.
Divya Pramil says
Wow looks so perfect, soft and yum!! 🙂 Merry Christmas dear!
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janakidiary says
Happy holidays to you and your family! Your cake looks festive 🙂
Rebecca Subbiah says
lovely cake and we took the kids to see lights too fun your a great mum
Reshmi Mahesh says
Wow...cute and lovely cake...I can imagine the flavors and the taste of it...Perfect..
divya says
looks awesome...
Rita Bose says
Wow! This fruit/plum cake looks absolutely delicious and is so easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
Marisa says
Lot of work but this cake must be delicious. 🙂
Marlys Folly says
I never did get my fruit cake made this year... Well there is always next year. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.
Julie says
Beautiful Christmas cake dear..Hope u had a great Christmas!!
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Suja Manoj says
Perfect Christmas Cake,looks so yummy and beautiful texture,hope you all had a fun filled Christmas
Hema says
Gorgeous cake and beautiful presentation,,
Amrita Vishal says
Lovely fruit cake.Merry Christmas to you too
El Oteador de los Mercados says
That 2013 is a year full of health and moments of joy and laughter.
Sangeetha Nambi says
Cake looks perfect and spongy.... Love the decor...
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Nivedhanams Sowmya says
Wow they look so cute and so tempting!!! such a mouthwatering and sinful cake!!! - WOW is the word!!
Sowmya
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Jemini says
great looking cake and nice step by step explanation dear......
WeR SAHM says
nice presentation and wonderful clicks and well explained
Sangeetha Priya says
Merry Christmas Swathi, super festive treat, loved your neat presentation n clicks...
Roha says
beautiful presentation 🙂
Jay says
oh..I've wanted try same too...I am def going to..:P
Tasty Appetite
Achu says
Beautiful dear!!! Lovely step by steps process Cute one 🙂
Rani's gourmet says
super cake....wish to have a slice 🙂
Shailaja Reddy says
Tempting cake with spices. Looks awesome...
PT says
wow.. it looks so beautiful.. merry christmas swathi..
kausers kitchen says
Cake looks great...luvly clicks.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to u too dear:)
kitchen queen says
perfectly baked plum cake very delicious and awesome with beautiful and wonderful step by step demo and clicks.
Arthy Suman says
Awesome...amazing cake...world is going crazy over fruit cake...the worst will be me...
Veena Theagarajan says
I am so tempted by lovely cake..
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radha says
The cake looks lovely.
Hamaree Rasoi says
A Grand and Delicious looking Plum cake. Thanks a lot for showing step by step method of the whole process.
Deepa