Plum cake in Kerala does not wait for plums. It is caramel, spice, and fruit that has sat in juice or rum. This version skips eggs so the whole house can eat it. Bake it a week early if you can; it slices cleaner, and the spice settles. Wrap it. Hide it from the people who ‘just want a sliver’.
Ingredients
- mixed dried fruit (raisins, dates, peel)2 cups, chopped
- orange juice or grape juice3/4 cup, for soaking
- flour1 3/4 cups
- soft brown sugar3/4 cup
- yogurt1 cup
- butter1/2 cup, melted
- baking powder1 1/2 tsp
- baking soda1/2 tsp
- cinnamon, clove, nutmeg1 tsp mixed
- vanilla1 tsp
- cashews1/3 cup
Method
- 1
Soak the fruit in juice overnight, or 2 hours in a warm place. Drain, keep a spoon of the liquor.
- 2
Heat the oven to 160°C. Line a deep tin. Toss the fruit and cashews with a spoon of flour so they do not sink.
- 3
Whisk melted butter, sugar, yogurt, and vanilla. Fold in flour, raising agents, spice, then fruit. The batter should be thick.
- 4
Bake 65–75 minutes until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Cool in the tin. Brush with the leftover juice.