Vegan Kerala Plum Cake
Vegan Kerala Plum Cake is one of the last-minute Christmas cake ideas, and is alcohol-free and dairy-free, loaded with dried fruits and nuts.
Ingredients
Dry Fruits, Nuts and Soaking Ingredients
A mix of Dry Fruits and Nuts - 1.5 cups (One can use up to 1 Cup, I have used a bit more)
- ¼ Cup - Raisins
- ¼ Cup - Black Currants
- ¼ Cup - Mixed Peel
- ¼ Cup - Dried Papaya
- ¼ Cup - Chopped Hazelnut
- ¼ Cup - Chopped Almonds
- 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
- 1 tbsp Orange Zest (1 orange Zest)
Dry Ingredients
- Flour - 1 cup
- Baking Powder - 1 tsp
- Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Cloves powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Dry Ginger Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg Powder
- ½ Cup Dark brown Sugar
Wet Ingredients
- ½ Cup - Water
- 1 teaspoon - Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
- ¼ Cup - Vegetable Oil
Caramel Syrup Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Hot water
Optional Ingredients
- 8-10 Cashew or almonds for garnish
Instructions
Soaking of Dry Fruits
- In a large bowl add in all the nuts and give a quick mix.¼ Cup - Raisins, ¼ Cup - Black Currants, ¼ Cup - Mixed Peel, ¼ Cup - Chopped Hazelnut, ¼ Cup - Chopped Almonds, ¼ Cup - Dried Papaya
- To this add orange juice and mix.1/2 Cup Orange Juice
- Cover and let the nuts hydrate in the juice for 1 day a minimum of 24 hours.
Preparing of Caramel
- Before baking the cake, make the caramel syrup.
- Warm ½ Cup water required for caramel in a pot.1/2 cup Hot water
- In another heavy bottom, pot add sugar.1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- On low flame let the sugar melt.
- Do not stir the sugar, it should melt on its own.
- Once melted add the hot water slowly.
- Be careful as when you add hot water to sugar it might splatter.
- Mix everything and let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Switch off and let it cool.
Preparing of Cake batter
- Grease a 6-inch baking round pan or pan of your choice.
- Preheat the oven to 170 Deg C / 338 Deg F.
- In a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon powder, clove powder, nutmeg, and dry ginger powder.Flour - 1 cup, Baking Powder - 1 tsp, Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp, ¼ teaspoon Salt, 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Cloves powder, 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Dry Ginger Powder
- Keep it aside.
- Grate the orange zest in the nut mixture.1 tbsp Orange Zest (1 orange Zest)
- Give the soaked nut mixture a nice mix.
- To this add 2-3 tablespoons of flour and mix it evenly so that the nuts are coated with flour.
- In another large bowl, add the oil and vanilla essence.¼ Cup - Vegetable Oil, 1 teaspoon - Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
- To this add sugar and mix.½ Cup Dark brown Sugar
- Add the cooled caramel mixture and mix everything.
- Slowly add the flour in batches and give a nice mix.
- Add soaked nuts and water to make a smooth batter.½ Cup - Water
- Add the batter in a prepared cake tin.
- Gently tap it and level the top.
- Garnish or decorate it with nuts and dry fruits.8-10 Cashew or almonds for garnish
Baking
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170 Deg C / 338 Deg F for 45-60 minutes or until done.
- The cake is done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove and let it cool completely before slicing.
- It is best to cut a nut cake the next day.
Notes
- Standard US Size cups and spoons were used. 1 cup = 237 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
- All ovens are different, please check if the cake is done after 45 minutes.
- If the cake gets too brown on the top, cover it with aluminium foil and bake.
- Water can be replaced with milk if required. Vegans can use vegan milk.
- Oil can be replaced with butter. Vegans can use vegan butter.