Want to make Kerala Plum Cake? Follow these easy recipes to try it out this festive season

Kerala Plum Cakes are traditional made with soaked dried fruits. Photos Courtesy: ITC Grand Central

Kerala Plum Cake is easily a Christmas special and while the festival may be over, the festive season is still not over and will continue this entire week.

If you are still in the mood to celebrate and want to put on your chef's hat, then chefs say you can try making the delicious version of the plum cake at home.

Being of those who make it in India, chef Ravinder Kumar, executive chef, Karma Lakelands, a 270-acre eco-resort in Noida, says, "Kerala plum cake is more than just a dessert - it's a rich tapestry of flavours and traditions that truly captures the essence of Christmas. What sets it apart is the way fruits are soaked in rum or wine for weeks, sometimes months, before being baked to perfection. At Karma Lakelands, we embrace this tradition, crafting our plum cake with meticulously sourced spices, nuts, and dried fruits to ensure an authentic and memorable experience. It's a cake that tells a story, one of patience, warmth, and festive cheer."

It is no different for chef Arvind Baghe who makes the cake at the Boulangerie, Araiya Palampur in Himachal Pradesh.

Kerala Plum Cake
Chef Baghe shares, "The Kerala plum cake is a story of resilience and harmony - fruits and spices soaked in time, caramel that mirrors life's sweetness, and the warmth of tradition baked into every bite. At Araiya, it's not just a cake; it's a celebration of cultures meeting on a plate." Unlike the Western fruitcakes, he highlights how the Kerala version bursts with tropical flavours - candied fruits soaked in rum, the warmth of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, and the depth of caramel syrup.

Ingredients:
Refined flour 300 gm
Mixed dried fruits (raisins, dates, cherries, and orange peel) 300 gm
Mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, and walnuts), chopped 50 gm
Unsalted butter, softened 50 gm
Powdered sugar 200 gm
Eggs, large 4 nos
Vanilla extract 1 tsp
Baking powder 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg powder 1/4 tsp
Clove powder 1/4 tsp
Caramel syrup 2 tbsp
Rum (or orange juice for non-alcoholic version) 1/2 cup
A pinch of salt

Method:
1. Prepare the dry fruits: Soak the dried fruits in rum (or orange juice) overnight for a rich flavour.
2. Make the caramel syrup: Heat 4 tbsp of sugar in a pan until it melts and turns golden brown. Carefully add 2 tbsp of water and mix until smooth. Cool it down.
3. Prepare the batter: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Grease and line a baking tin.
4. In a bowl, sift flour, baking powder, spices, and salt together.
5. Cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract and caramel syrup.
6. Gently fold in the flour mixture. Add the soaked fruits and nuts.
4. Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool before serving.

Kerala Plum Cake
Chef Mozanne Karbhari, sous chef, ITC Grand Central in Mumbai, says, "Rich dried fruits steeped in rum or brandy, a distinctive caramel flavor that gives it a rich, sweet taste, and a particular blend of spices are what make Kerala plum cake stand out. Kerala's varied cultural influences are reflected in this dish, whose recipe has changed throughout the centuries to become what we eat for Christmas today."

Ingredients:
Dried fruits 500 gm
Rum or brandy 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Unsalted butter 200 gm
Eggs 4 nos
All-purpose flour 2 cups
Baking powder 1 tsp
Baking soda 1/2 tsp
Ground spices 1 tsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Orange zest 1 tsp
Nuts (cashews, almonds) 1/2 cup

Method:
1. For a deeper flavour, soak dried fruits in rum or brandy for at least two to three days or weeks.
2. In a pan, melt sugar until it turns deep amber. Carefully add ¼ cup of water and mix to create a syrup. Allow it to cool.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices in a sieve.
4. Beat sugar and butter till light and fluffy. One by one, add the eggs, thoroughly mixing each time. Add orange zest and vanilla essence and stir.
5. Add the chopped nuts, soaked fruits, and caramel syrup to the wet mixture. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients.
6. Fill a lined cake tin with the batter. After 60 to 70 minutes of baking at 160°C in a preheated oven, a toothpick should come out clean.
7. Allow the cake to fully. Before serving, allow it to sit for a few days for maximum flavour.

Kerala Plum Cake
Chef Sourabh Das, founder of Craft of Food 2.0 in Bandra, shares, "The Kerala Plum Cake stands apart because of its rich flavours, intricate preparation, and connection to tradition. What makes it unique is soaking of fruits in a blend of aromatic spices and rum for weeks, sometimes months, creating a depth of flavour that's unparalleled. It's not just a dessert - it's a slice of heritage, embodying warmth, nostalgia, and the joy of festive celebrations."

Soak the following dry fruits and nuts in a combination of fruit juice (Cranberry, Mix Fruit Juice and Orange Juice) for at least 24 hours:
Black cranberries 100 gm
Red cranberries 100 gm
Dried blueberries 100 gm
Green raisins 100 gm
Brown raisins 100g
Black Raisins 100g
Mejdool Dates 100g
Candied Peel 100g
Prunes 100g
Tutti Frutti 100g
Dried Figs (Chopped) 100g
Cashew Nuts 100g
Almond 100g
Pecan Nut 100g
Walnut 100g
Pine Nuts 100g
Pistachio 100g
Hazelnut 100g
Brazil Nut 100g
Macadamia 100g
Lemon Zest
Orange Zest
Fruit Juice As Required.
Christmas Spice Mix (Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise and Nutmeg 2 tsp)

Method:
1. Cut the big dry fruits and nuts into medium-size pieces and remove the inedible part.
2. Soak in the mixture of fruit juice and christmas spice mix

Ingredients for batter:

Dry ingredients
Flour 150 gm
Baking powder 2 gm
Baking soda 1 gm
Christmas spice mix 5 gm
Salt 2 gm

Wet ingredients:
Dark muscovado sugar 20 gm
Cranberry juice 25 gm
Orange juice 25 gm
Mix fruit juice 25 gm
Butter 110 gm
Evaporated milk 20 gm
Condensed milk 130 gm
Vanilla bean 1 no/ Vanilla essence 5 gm
Almond powder 10 gm
Almond (chopped) 10 gm
Cashewnut (chopped) 10 gm
Walnut (chopped) 10 gm
Lemon zest 5 gm
Orange zest 5 gm
Candied peel 30 gm
Molasses/BlackJack 65 gm

Christmas Spice Mix
Cinnamon 50 gm
Cloves 50 gm
Star anise 3 nos
Nutmeg 1 no

Method:
1. Grate the nutmeg and keep the powder aside.
2. Individually dry roast the remaining spices and grind into a powder.
3. Add all the ingredients together.
4. The christmas spice mix is ready.

Method:

Dry Ingredients:
1. Sift and sieve all the dry ingredients together and keep it aside in a bowl.

Wet ingredients:
1. In a pan, add butter, dark muscovado sugar, juices, molasses and heat it using slow flame.
2. Cook till everything melts.
3. Remove from flame.
4. Add evaporated milk condensed milk, vanilla essence.
5. Add the remaining ingredients.
6. Mix it well and keep it aside.

Cut and fold technique:
1. Cut and fold the dry ingredients properly into the wet ingredients.
2. Keep it aside.

Weigh separately the batter and soaked fruits.
Ratio
Batter :Soaked Fruits :: 2: 1
Batter : Soaked Fruits :
200 gm: 100 gm

Method:
1. Remove 50 gm of batter and fold the soaked fruits into it.
2. Add the remaining batter.
3. Fold it softly and the batter is ready.
4. Portion it according to the desired pan.
5. On the top of the batter add a whole single piece of every dry fruits and nuts used in the making of this cake.
6. Baking in a preheated oven: Temperature : 160 degrees Celsius and time: 55 minutes (approximate).
7. Check the cake using a toothpick.
8. Christmas Kerala Plum Cake is ready.