Rich Plum Cake: Baking Method

1. Make the spice mix: Roast cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon on low flame and ground them together into a fine powder and mix with nutmeg and ginger powder.
2. Chop all the dry fruits and raisins into small bits. Pour the Rum, Brandy, Whisky and Golden Syrup into tutty fruity and dry fruit mix and soak for 20- 25 days to allow fermentation of the fruit bits that enhances the richness and flavor.
3. Take butter and bring it to room temperature. Take a mixing bowl and beat the butter in it using a whisker. Add sugar and whisk till it gets creamier and fluffy.
4. Gradually add eggs one by one while whipping. Add caramel color for enhancing the colour. Continue whisking until you get a smooth, creamy texture of the batter. The whole beating process may take up to 15-20 minutes.
5. Mix baking flour, baking powder and gradually add the flour into the batter using a spatula. Gently stir and beat the mixture as you keep adding flour into the batter mixture.
6. Take the soaked fruit mix and sprinkle some refined flour on the soaked raisins-and-nuts. so that a fine coat of flour is formed on the bits. This is to ensure the raisins and nuts spread evenly in the cake. Otherwise, there are chances that you may find the fruit and nut mix towards the bottom surface of the cake after baking.
7. Add spice powder to the Plum cake mixture and beat gently.
8. Pre heat the oven 175 degree celecius. Line the cake pan with baking paper that fit the pan base and the interior surface.
9. Transfer the Plum cake mix to the cake pan and tap the top surface to make an even top surface. Bake it in the preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes or till toothpick or skewer pierced in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
10. Cool in cake pan and bring it to room temperature.
11. Before serving, prick holes on top of the cake, sprinkle a table spoon of Rum or Brandy over the cake. Cut the cake into even slices and serve.
12. Wrap well with parchment paper and foil cover for storage.

The author is the chef at The Ashoka.