Rich, moist & delicious Plum cake or Fruit cake…
This is a popular cake baked for holidays & enjoyed by everyone. This cake is loaded with candied dried fruits & nuts. The dried fruits & nuts are soaked in orange juice for an hour. Orange juice will make this cake refreshing. The aromatic spices added to the flour will impart a nice fragrance. This cake will make us slip into the festive spirit.
Happy Holidays everyone, enjoy this cake with your family!
Rich & Moist Plum Cake -Fruit Cake Recipe- For Christmas- Without Alcohol
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Thas
Ingredients
For Soaking
- Chopped dates- 1 cup
- Candied dried fruits/cherries or Tutti Frutti- 1 cup
- Chopped nuts- 1 cup (almonds, cashew nuts, pecans, walnuts)
- Orange juice- 2 cups
Dry ingredients
- All-purpose flour- 2 cups
- Baking powder- 1½ tsp
- Baking soda- 1½ tsp
- Nutmeg- ½ tsp
- Ground cinnamon- ½ tsp
- Ground dried ginger- ½ tsp
- Salt- ½ tsp
Wet Ingredients
- Butter, unsalted & softened- ½ cup
- Brown sugar- 1½ cups
- Egg yolk- from 4 eggs
- Egg whites- from 4 eggs, whipped
Optional ingredient
- Cashew nuts- 6, to top the cake batter
Instructions
- This is for making 2 8-inch round cakes, for making 1 cake you can half the ingredients.
- In a bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned 'for soaking', and soak for an hour. Overnight soaking is not required.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F or 160 C.
- Into a bowl, sieve all the dry ingredients; keep it aside.
- Eggs should be at room temperature.
- Separate the egg yolks & whites from 4 eggs.
- To a bowl, add slightly softened butter.
- Using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add brown sugar, cream for 2 minutes.
- Ensure to add brown sugar & not white sugar, it will impart a nice caramel taste.
- Add egg yolks, one at a time & beat till creamy.
- Add the prepared flour mix or dry ingredients.
- Beat at low speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the soaked dried fruits & nuts in orange juice.
- First, combine with a spatula and then beat at low speed for 2 minutes. Keep it aside.
- To a clean bowl, add the egg whites & whip the egg whites (from 2 eggs) at high speed till soft peaks have formed.
- Add the whipped egg whites to the cake batter.
- Combine well using a silicone spatula till well incorporated.
- Use two, 8 inch cake pan.
- (Don't use springform pan- liquid will drip through the sides from the batter while baking).
- Grease the cake pan with butter, line with parchment paper.
- Pour the cake batter.
- Tap the pan to release the air bubbles.
- Top with cashew nuts, this is optional.
- Place the cake pan in the preheated oven, on the middle rack.
- Bake for 50 minutes, check if the centre has cooked well by inserting a fork or tooth pick into the centre of the cake. It has to come out clean.
- If not, keep the cake pan on the upper rack & bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- I had to bake this cake for an hour.
- Take the pan from the oven, let it cool down completely.
- Slice into wedges and enjoy & slip into the festive spirit.
