Rich plum cake step-by-step recipe with photos.
About this recipe
Rich plum cake or Indian-style plum cake/fruit cake is a Christmas cake that is popular in India and is sold at most bakeries during the season. It is one of our favourite cakes. This classic Indian bakery-style Christmas cake is usually made using alcohol-soaked dry fruits. But I prefer to bake cakes without any alcohol. This alcohol-free cake is easy to make and there is no fuss of soaking the dry fruits.
To make this cake, the most important step is to get the caramel right. The caramel gives the cake a rich dark colour. I make a spice mix using clove, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, that I add to this cake. This recipe doesn’t call for the soaking of dry fruits and can be made instantly just before a party or gathering.
Perfect for this festive season, bake it this Christmas or bake them for friends and family for a perfect hand-crafted gift 🙂
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Ingredients
Flour: Plain flour is used to make this cake.
Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature.
Spices: I use powdered ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Dried fruits and nuts: I use almonds, cashew, raisins, and glazed cherries. You can use other nuts or dried fruits of your choice.
Sugar: we need sugar in two parts - one for the caramel and the other for the cake batter.
Step by step instructions
1. Chopped nuts, dry fruits, and spice mix
2. Melt the sugar in a saucepan. Add water to the caramel
3. Heat the caramel again to melt hardened sugar crystals
4. In a large bowl, beat butter and ⅔ cup sugar using a whisk or electric beater until it is light
6. Add eggs and flour in batches. Beat well until fully incorporated.
7. Pour caramel into the batter. Mix gently to incorporate the caramel.
8. Add dry fruits and nuts and fold gently.
9. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake at 180 C (360 F) for 35-40 minutes. Keep an eye after the 30-minute mark.
10. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place the cake on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe card
Rich plum cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cup plain flour
- ½ cup butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup cashew chopped
- ¼ cup almonds chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ cup cherries (glazed) chopped
- 2 tablespoon orange peel finely chopped
- ½ cup sugar for caramel
- ⅔ cup sugar for cake batter
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon clove powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- A small pinch salt
- Icing sugar for dusting on the cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 180 C (360 F). Grease and line an 8-inch cake tin
- In a small saucepan, add ½ cup sugar and put it on medium flame. Let the sugar melt completely. Once it melts and starts caramelising, take it away from heat and add ½ cup water
- The sugar will harden once you add the water. Bring it back to the flame and keep stirring until all the crystalised sugar melts and you get a nice caramelised syrup. Set aside
- Combine together cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg powders. Set aside
- Mix all the dry fruits and nuts in a small bowl along with 2 tablespoon flour. Coat the entire mixture completely with flour. Set aside
- In a bowl, combine the remaining flour, baking powder, salt, and spice mix
- In a large bowl, beat butter and ⅔ cup sugar using a whisk or electric beater until it is light
- Add vanilla extract and combine well
- Add one egg along with half of the flour mix. Beat well until it is combined
- Add one more egg and the remaining flour mix. Beat again until it is combined and mixed well
- Add the caramel and fruit mix to the batter. Gently fold them into the batter
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and level the top
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then place the cake on a cooling rack to cool completely
- Dust with icing sugar
- Slice and serve
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