Plum Cake

Name: Plum Cake
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 3 cups Dry fruit; 12 - 15 cashew nut; 1 to 1.5 cups Dark rum brandy / -; 1 cup orange juice -; 1/2 cups sugar; 1/4 cups water warm; 2 cloves -; 2 cardamom -; 1 cinnamon small - piece; nutmeg - small piece; orange peel - small piece; 2 cups all purpose flour -; 1 1/2 tsps baking powder -; 1/2 tsp baking soda -; 1 cup sugar - + 2 tbsps; 1 cup Unsalted butter butter at room temperature - + 2 tbsps; 4 eggs at room temperature -; 1 . 5 tsps vanilla essence -; 1 tbsp jam - (I used home banana ); 1 - 2 tbsps orange candied peel - (don't add more it taste bitter)

Swapna Felix @cook_7806108

Stamford, Connecticut

This is one of the most difficult cake I have ever made. The preparation starts 3, 4 months in advance. But all the hard work pays off once you have the baked cake.
The process starts with soaking the dry fruits in brandy/rum(I typically use brandy). For Christmas I normally soak the fruits by end of August or early September. I tried 3 different recipes but I like this one better than others.

Swapna Felix @cook_7806108

Stamford, Connecticut

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Ingredients

3 cupsDry fruit
12 - 15cashew nut
1 to 1.5 cupsDark rum brandy / -
1 cuporange juice -
1/2 cupssugar
1/4 cupswater warm
2cloves -
2cardamom -
1cinnamon small - piece
nutmeg - small piece
orange peel - small piece
2 cupsall purpose flour -
1 1/2 tspsbaking powder -
1/2 tspbaking soda -
1 cupsugar - + 2 tbsps
1 cupUnsalted butter butter at room temperature - + 2 tbsps
4eggs at room temperature -
1 . 5 tspsvanilla essence -
1 tbspjam - (I used home banana )
1 - 2 tbspsorange candied peel - (don't add more it taste bitter)

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Steps

1

Soaking in advance: This is the first step in making this cake. You can use any dry fruits like raisin, sultanas, dried blueberry, cranberry, cherry, dates or tutty fruity. Cut big fruits like prunes and dates and cashew into small pieces and soak in clean dry glass jar with desired quantity of brandy/rum. Soak 2 cups of dry fruits at this stage. Shake the jar once a week so that the whole fruits get soaked and stay moist. Soak the rest of the fruits in orange juice on the day before baking t...
2

Caramel: add 1/2 cup sugar in a sauce pan and switch on the heat in medium. After a couple of minutes the outer layer starts turning golden brown. Let that stand for a couple of minutes so that the whole sugar get caramelized(make sure the color is dark brown. This syrup gives dark color to the cake). Now add warm water (be careful while adding water that may sizzle and burn your hand) and let it boil for a few minutes. Remove from fire when the syrup starts thickening. The ideal consistency...
3

Powder all the spices in a mortar and pestle and then make it fine powder in a mixer (my little trick is to add the spices while powdering the sugar)
4

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Measure all the ingredients and set aside. Mix the dry fruits (both soaked in brandy and in orange juice) together and drain and retain orange juice if any. Toss dry fruits with 2 tbsp of flour and set aside. Sieve the remaining flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder and set it aside. Powder the sugar.
5

Separate egg yolk and white.
6

Beat egg white until soft peak appear and keep that aside.
7

Beat egg yolk with butter(at room temperature) until soft. Slowly add powdered sugar into this mixture and beat well. When this forms into a smooth paste add vanilla, spices powder and caramel syrup. Then add flour and orange juice (you need nearly 1/2 cup orange juice) alternately and beat until it mix well. Add jam at this stage and mix well until it combined.
8

Fold beaten egg white using a spatula. Then fold dry fruits mix to the cake batter and bake in a greased baking pan for 40 - 50 mins. Baking time depends on oven and the size of your baking pan.