Let me begin by wishing everyone a fun filled holiday season with family, friends and lots of good food!If you are from Kerala or live in Kerala, there is just no escaping Christmas fruit cake. In fact,Christmas for us Keralites is not complete without the plum cake.

 But the fact is ,this Kerala Plum Cake  has no plums in it and it has always puzzled me why it continues to be called so...and finally i found the answer last year when i visited my Grandparents for Christmas... I asked my Grandpa and what he said was..Apparently, in the good old days, the British fruitcake contained a variety of dried fruit which was referred to as “plumb” or “plum” which is what gives this particular fruit cake its name.In Kerala, this Christmas cake is a dense deep brown coloured spiced cake that is a choc-a-block full of dried fruit and nuts. The brown colour (and a very nice flavour too) comes from a caramel sauce which is made and added to the cake batter. The fruits, nuts and spices typically used in this cake are those found locally so raisins, dates, candied and coloured peel, green and red coloured tutti frutti, cashewnuts, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

 Traditionally the dried fruit and nuts are soaked in rum for a month and then used in the cake. This soaking not only adds to the flavour of the cake but also helps preserve it for a long time. Back home in Kerala, about a month before Christmas, all the big bakeries and anybody who can get into the act does the mixing and soaking of dried fruit and nuts in rum.But as far as i can remember we never actually used this technique!!we substituted it with Orange juice

As Christmas is just a couple of days away...and also we have a very special guest joining us this Christmas.So me and my mom already started with baking and cooking lil earlier!!And again this Christmas will be special for me 'cause it's the first time i'm baking a Christmas Cake all by myself [i used to be my Grandma's/Mom's side-kick while they does all the main work]!!So all this week i've been really busy going through the recipes...practicing and practicing!My first try was a flop..but i did'nt gave up...'cause i've gotta break the ice!And I did that actually...well in my third[sshhh] try,which's not bad i guess!!

So now i'm confident enough to bake the main cake!!I'll share the picture of the main cake  later on Christmas day on my facebook !!Also my version is a bit different from the regular version of  plum cakes .The difference in my version is the steaming of the fruits that makes the cake extra moist and melt in the mouth kind!!

CHRISTMAS PLUM CAKE

Ingredients:

• Butter - 100gms
• Ghee - 125gm
• Powdered Sugar - 300gms
• Egg yolks - 4nos.
• Vanilla essence - 1tsp.
• Ground orange peel -1/4tsp.
• Sugar - 4tblsp (to caramelize)
• Mixed dry fruits – 600gms (I used dates, raisins, currents, cherries, mixed fruits, orange peels, apricot, prunes, cranberries etc)
• Cashew nuts - 100gm 
• Orange juice- 1.5 cup
• All purpose flour/ Maida - 250gms.
• Baking powder - 1/2tsp
• Baking soda  - 1/4tsp
• Cinnamon power - 1/4tsp
• Clove power - 1/4tsp
• Nutmeg power - 1/4tsp
• Milk - 1/4cup
• Egg white - 4nos.
• Limejuice - 3tblsp
• Sugar - 4 tbsp

Method:

• Chop all dry fruits and cashew nuts finely and soak them in 1.5 cups of fresh orange juice. Leave it overnight @ room temp
• On the day of baking the cake, transfer these fruits in to a heatproof container with lid and steam this in a pressure cooker/steamer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and allow the fruits to cool completely.
• Heat 4tblsp sugar in a pan stirring continuously. When it becomes dark brown add 1cup hot water and stir until it becomes thick.(this can also be done a day ahead)
• Sieve together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, clove powder and nutmeg power. Toss the steamed cooled mixed fruits in the flour-mix well in a large bowl, so that the fruit is completely coated. Keep aside. (Tossing fruits in flour is to avoid fruits falling to the bottom of the cake during baking time)
• Cream butter, clarified butter and sugar; add egg yolks one by one and beat in. Then add vanilla essence, ground orange peels, caramel syrup and beat well. Add flour-fruits mix slowly alternating with milk to the cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour-fruit mixture. Stir well with spatula to blend uniformly.
• Beat egg whites till stiff add 4 tbsp sugar and limejuice and beat again. Fold in egg whites in to the cake mixture.
• Pre heat oven to 170C/340F. Line the bottom and sides of cake pans with lightly greased parchment / butter paper. Pour cake batter in to prepared pan. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4hours or till a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Start checking after 1hr) Cool in pan on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely on wire racks.that's it....

I hope everybody will have a joyous Christmas with lots of fun and food with family & friends!!Merry Christmas............