Plum Cake Recipe (No Eggs, No Alcohol)

Soaking dry fruits and nuts

1. Take all the dry fruits and nuts in a bowl. I just rinse them once or twice and then drain them very well.
2. Now finely chop all of them and collect in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the apple juice and mix very well.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate letting the dry fruits soak in the apple juice for a day.
5. Bring the dry fruits and apple juice mixture to room temperature before you proceed with making the cake.

Preparing caramel

1. In a sauce pan, take the sugar and water.
2. Mix and stir very well. Keep this pan on the stove top on a low heat. I have used organic unrefined cane sugar but you can use white sugar.
3. Bring this sugar solution to a boil on a low heat. You will see the mixture bubbling initially.
4. Continue to cook and do keep on stirring often.
5. At one point it might look that the sugar is getting crystallized.
6. Continue to cook and stir frequently till you see the color changing to a dark brown. Switch off at this point.
7. Remove the pan from the stove top and place it down. Immediately add 1 cup water to the caramel. Be careful while doing so, as the mixture splutters.
8. The caramel will harden as soon as you pour the water. Keep the saucepan back on the stove top on a low flame. Stir often and bring to a gentle simmer till all the hardened caramel is dissolved. Do stir often so as to aid in dissolving the caramel.
9. Let this caramel solution cool completely.
10. Once the caramel has cooled, add the oil. I used olive oil. You can also use sunflower oil or melted butter. If using melted butter then add it when the caramel solution turns warm.
11. Mix the oil with the caramel solution very well.
12. Next add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. I have used lemon juice. You can also use white vinegar. Mix again very well.

Making cake batter

1. Grease a 8-inch round pan very well with oil or butter. Also preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 15 mins before you bake.
2. In a sieve, take whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, clove powder and cardamom powder (optional).
3. Sift all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4. Next add the soaked dry fruits + apple juice mixture to the sifted dry ingredients.
5. With a spatula just mix lightly.
6. Add the caramel solution.
7. Now fold the flour ingredients with the caramel solution to a smooth batter.

Baking

1. Pour the batter in the prepared pan.
2. Gently shake and tap the pan so as to even out the batter.
3. Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. A wooden skewer should come out clean and dry when inserted in the cake.
4. This cake has to be baked very well. If the top gets browned too much, then cover with an aluminium foil or parchment paper and bake. Baking time varies with various brands and models of oven.
5. You can sift some powdered sugar on top of the cake to hide the cracks on the top. Slice and serve the cake.

Storing and serving suggestions

1. The cake can also be refrigerated. It keeps good for 10 to 12 days in the fridge. Cut the kerala plum cake in slices and stored the slices in an airtight box.
2. Enjoy the cake as a snack or dessert with your Christmas meals. You can choose to serve the cake with any beverage of your choice - hot cocoa, drinking chocolate, milk, tea, coffee, espresso or wine.