Every December my kitchen smells of oranges and cloves, because that’s when the plum cake gets made. This one has no eggs and uses atta instead of maida. The whole wheat gives it a slightly nutty flavour that suits dried fruit, and the curd keeps it soft. Bake it three or four days before Christmas and it will be at its best by the time you cut it.
What You’ll Need
For soaking the fruit (a week ahead if you can, overnight if you can’t):
- 1 cup mixed dried fruit: raisins, currants, chopped dates, tutti frutti, prunes
- ½ cup orange juice, or rum
- 1 tsp orange zest
For the batter:
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup jaggery powder or brown sugar
- ½ cup oil or melted butter
- ½ cup thick curd
- ½ cup milk, plus a splash extra if the batter feels stiff
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
- ¼ tsp clove powder
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts or almonds
- 2 tbsp caramel syrup, for a darker cake (optional)
How to Make It
- Soak the fruit. Stir the dried fruit into the juice with the zest. Cover it and leave it for six hours at the very least.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the jaggery or sugar with the oil and curd until there are no lumps. Stir in the vanilla and caramel syrup.
- Bring it together. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices into the bowl and fold gently. Add milk a little at a time. You want a thick batter that drops off the spoon slowly.
- Add the fruit. Drain the soaked fruit and roll it in a spoonful of flour first, which helps stop it sinking to the bottom. Fold it in with the nuts.
- Bake. Spoon the batter into a greased 7-inch tin lined with parchment. Bake at 170°C for 40 to 50 minutes. A skewer pushed into the middle should come out clean. Leave the cake in the tin until completely cool.
Things I’ve Learned
- Stop mixing as soon as you can’t see dry flour. Whole wheat turns heavy if you keep stirring.
- Let the filled tin sit for ten minutes before baking. The flour soaks up the liquid and the crumb comes out better.
- Begin checking at 40 minutes. Home ovens run hot or cool, so go by the skewer and not the clock.
- For a richer, damper cake, brush the top with a spoonful of orange juice or rum once a day until you serve it.
Keeping and Serving
An airtight tin on the counter will keep the cake for 4 to 5 days. In the fridge it lasts up to two weeks. Don’t cut it the same day, as the spices settle in overnight and the flavour improves. Cut thick slices and have them with hot masala chai, warm milk, or vanilla ice cream.
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