N'Oven- PLUM CAKE (traditional Christmas cake) -RUM PLUM CAKE-Pressure cooker

Never ever thing that people who had OVEN,OTG OR microwave can only bake, we can even bake in pressure cooker or without pressure cooker without adding salt or sand under it.

SOAK THE DRY FRUITS IN RUM FOR MAXIMUM 1MONTH IF NOT 2DAYS

"This is a great cake for those who find the usual cakes too filling. This is great for entertaining as well as for the family. If this cake stays more than 24 hours, it should be kept refrigerated."

I have used wheat flour instead of maida and brown sugar.

Indulge yourself to a Holiday Treat, loaded with Fruits n Nuts soaked in Rum… an Old fashioned Christmas Fruit Cake! Moist, Rich, and Luscious.

So, another eventful year is coming to an end with a lot of excitement over the time, wrapping up on a sweet note with a Traditional, Old Fashioned Christmas Fruit Cake, aka Plum Cake. Plum cake races me back to my childhood days and memories, as it is a very famous dessert in bangalore, especially during Christmas. I do not know the history behind its origin, but I believe it was the Britishers who brought the original dried fruit variety of the cake to India. A common misunderstanding of the cake going by its name is it being made of the fruit Plum, but actually it refers to its plumped ingredients; the dry fruits which swell up over its soaking period. Funny, isn’t it?

The highlight of this cake is the aroma of the spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamon), and the alcohol soaked fruits. The longer the fruits n nuts being soaked, the better it’s flavours. I recommend soaking them for a minimum of 2 days before baking the cake, so that the flavours sum up. This Christmas I started my preparations earlier, and hence got a chance to soak my fruits for a month. You can even keep them for up to 6 months; now that would be heavenly, right?

There is usually no icing on a traditional Christmas cake, but variations with Cream Cheese or Whipped Cream are also popular. The cake is intensely rich and moist and is a perfect balance of sweetness from the smoky caramel syrup and the dry fruits. This cake makes a great addition to your holiday table as a dessert, or as a Christmas gift for your family and friends.

Here are a few ingredients options for you before you plan your bake, I highly recommend going through them:

• Dry Fruits varieties: Raisins / sultanas, apricots, dates (seedless), prunes, currants, figs, tutti fruit, glazed cherries, dried unsweetened cranberries.
• Nuts: Cashews, Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios, Pecans.
• Soaking liquid (alcoholic): Rum, Brandy, Cognac, Amarula, Baileys Irish Cream.
• Soaking liquid (non-alcoholic): 100% grape juice, apple juice, orange juice, or water.
• Spices: Dry Ginger powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, cardamom.

My daughter always love to bake any kind of cakes, specially she loves in mixing the ingredients.

While making this cake she was with me, and we started to bake the cake late night since her school is been closed due to vacation.

When the cake is been baked the aroma of rum and dry fruits filled are home which made us so filling!!!

Here I have baked this cake without adding salt or sand in normal heavy bottom pan with lid covered it.

Main thing you have to remember is that no heat should be gone out so cover with Tight lid or keep some weight on top of the lid. 

How to Bake a Plum Cake in Pressure Cooker :

1. Take a heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker.
2. Heat the pan or cooker. Place any stand/plate inside. 
3. If your using cooker REMOVE Gasket and Whistle. Close only the lid of cooker.
4. If your using just pan than use any lid cover, place heavy object on the lid, here i have use motor stone.
5. Pre-Heat the cooker/pan for 15min in medium flame.

NOTE: MAKE SURE NO AIR IS BEEN ESCAPE WHILE BAKING.

Lets cook with step-by-step pictures.

Now lets see how to cook:

N'Oven- PLUM CAKE (traditional Christmas cake) -RUM PLUM CAKE-Pressure cooker

Prep time

1hour

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

2hour

"This is a great cake for those who find the usual cakes too filling. This is great for entertaining as well as for the family. If this cake stays more than 24 hours, it should be kept refrigerated."

Author: Shalini

Recipe type:Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients:

1. Wheat flour/ maida - 2cups
2. Unsalted butter -1 cup
3. Brown Sugar -1 1/2 cups
4. Eggs - 4
5. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
6. Baking powder- 1 tsp
7. Salt- 1/2 tsp
8. Vanilla extract -1 tbsp 

       For soaking :

1. 1Cup nuts(raisins, almonds,cashew)
2. 1Cup cherry
3. 1Cup tutty fruitti
4. Rum/Grape juice -2cups

          For Spice mix:

1. Cinnamon - 2 inch
2. Cloves -4
3. Cardamon -3
4. Sugar -1/2 cup

     For Sugar Caramalization:

1. Sugar - 1/2 cup
2. Water- 1/4
3. Boiling water - 1/2 cup

Instructions:

Preparation of fruits

1. Chop dry fruits n nuts into bite size pieces, and transfer to a dry glass container. Pour the rum into the container and ensure that the contents are completely immersed in it. Place its lid and keep the container tightly closed.
2. Soak the fruits for at least 2 days, you can even preserve them up to 6 months; I soaked mine for 2days. Shake the jar every alternative day and keep refilling it with extra rum as the fruits start absorbing it.
3. You can use 2 to 2 ½ cups of soaked fruits and nuts while baking a cake.
4. For soaking instructions and other tips, refer the notes section below.

Preparation of caramel syrup

1. Add the 1/2sugar and 1/4cup water into a pan and heat on a medium flame.
2. As the sugar melts, turns golden in color, and bubbles, lower the flame and give it a quick stir. When the color changes to dark brown, switch off the flame and take the pan off the heat.
3. Now carefully 1/2cup of boiling  water a tablespoon at a time and stir. Your dark colored caramel syrup is ready. Keep it aside to cool down, stir in between. This is to prevent from crystallizing the sugar syrup.

Preparation of spice mix

1. Add 1/2 cup of sugar with 2 inch cinnamon,4cloves, 3Cardamon
2. In a mixer make into fine powder.

Preparation of Cake

1. Pre-heat the heavy bottom pan/cooker by (removing gasket and whistle) placing small stand or plate into it for 15min.
2. Take a large bowl, add 4 eggs,2 cups of Wheat flour/ maida, 1cup melted unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2cup of mix spice powder, caramelized sugar,soaked fruits, 1tsp of Vanilla extract, baking soda 1/2 tsp, baking powder 1 tsp, salt 1/2 tsp.
3. Mix all well
4. Line a pan with parchment paper; on the bottom and and along the sides extending 2 inches above the rim of the pan. Butter the paper thoroughly and set aside.
5. Pour the batter carefully into the prepared baking pan,place inside the heated pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes.
6. Gently run a knife around the edges of the pan and then unlock it. Move the cake to a wire rack keeping the lined parchment paper intact and let it cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar (optional).
7. Once cooled you can remove the paper, and the cake is now ready to be served.
8. To store, you can wrap the cake in an aluminum foil and keep in an air tight container at room temperature for a week. Refrigerate thereafter.

Notes

1. Soak dry fruits in alcohol to enhance the flavour. I recommend soaking for at least 48hrs but you may do so for days, weeks, or even up to 6 months. The more it soaks, the better it tastes.
2. Chop the fruits to be soaked into bite sized pieces. Use a clean air tight glass container to soak and store. Shake the jar or stir every alternate day as it helps to rehydrate the fruits and not dry out. Fill with extra rum as needed.
3. After draining the soaked dry fruits before baking the cake, coat them in a few spoons of flour. This helps the fruits to stick on to the batter while baking and prevents from setting down to the bottom.
4. Be cautious while preparing the caramel syrup, the melted sugar is very hot and will boil intensely when water is added. It can burn you if not carefully handled, also ensure to remove the pan from the flame when adding water.
5. After removing the baked cake from the pan, allow it sit on a wire rack to cool down at room temperature. Do not remove the parchment paper from the pan when the cake is hot, it might crumble.
6. Wrapping the cake in an aluminum foil helps it to retain moisture and prevent drying out.
7. You can keep the cake in an air tight container at room temperature for a week. Refrigerate thereafter.
8. If you want to make your cake boozy, you can brush the left over drained rum from the soaked fruits over the cake, once it is cooled from the oven. For those who prefer an aged/matured cake, you can bake it in advance and daily brush it with the remaining rum and wrap it back in the foil, until the day of serving / Christmas. 

Pictorial:

                                  Pre-heating the pan 

Take a heavy bottom pan and place a stand into it.

Cover with a plate and place some heavy object on it. so that the hot air dont go out.

                               Preparation of soak fruits

Take all items.

Add into bowl.

Add 2 cups of rum/fruit juice.

immerse all well into rum.

mix well.

soak it for 2 days.

Preparation of sugar caramelized 

Add 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water 

let it boil until it turn brown colour and off the flame

Now add 1/2 cup of boiling water n mix well.

                              Preparation of cake batter

Take all items for baking cake.

In large bowl add 4eggs.

add 1cup melted unsalted butter.

add 1 1/2 cup of  brown sugar.

Add Spice mix sugar powder.

Add 2 cups of wheat flour/ maida.

add 1/2tsp  baking soda, 1tsp baking powder,1/2 tsp salt.

Mix all.

Mix all ingredients.

Add in sugar caramelized

Add in 1tsp vanilla extract.

Add in soaked fruits along with the rum which we used while soaking.

Mix again well.

Take the pan n place the butter paper.

other pan.

tap well.

pour the cake batter into pan.

tap well.

Place it in pre heated pan

cover with lid. 

and place something heavy on the lid. Bake for 35 to 40mins.

After 35 to 40 min remove lid and poke a knife in center.

if knife comes out clear/without sticking cake is been cook, if sticking cook again for 15min more

Remove from the pan and let it cool down 

Cut only once it comes to room temperature. 

SERVE

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!!!!!