Rich Plum Cake / Indian Fruit Cake

5 from 92 votes

The Indian rich plum cake is a flavorful cake made with dried fruits, nuts, and aromatic spices. It is popularly enjoyed during festive seasons and is commonly found at Indian bakeries. This plum cake recipe is made without eggs and alcohol, making it a delicious and festive cake that everyone can enjoy.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 30

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Hindu, Vegetarian

Servings: slices

Calories: 275kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Equipment

Ingredients

For soaking:

¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup black raisins
¼ cup dried berries
½ cup tutti frutti
½-¾ cup orange juice

For the caramel:

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup jaggery
¾ cup water

Dry ingredients for the cake batter:

1¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup almonds thinly sliced
¼ cup cashew thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest

Wet ingredients for the cake batter:

⅓ cup orange juice
½ cup unsalted butter (100 grams)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ cup condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing sugar to dust on the cake

Instructions

Soaking the dried fruits:

Take golden raisins, black raisins, dried berries, and tutti frutti in a small glass bowl. Add orange juice just enough to cover them (depending on the size of the bowl, you will need ½-¾ cup).
Mix well and cover with a cling wrap and place them in the refrigerator for one day (can be soaked for up to one week in the fridge).
Once the fruits are soaked, strain the liquid from it. The soaked fruits will be used in the cake batter. Reserve the liquid to be used later.

Making the caramel:

Place a saucepan or frying pan on medium heat. Add ¼ cup sugar and let it caramelize. Do not stir for the first 3-4 minutes.
Once the sugar melts and begins to caramelize, add the jaggery. Keep stirring continuously until the jaggery melts and the caramel gets a dark color. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Once it cools down slightly, carefully add the water. Turn on the heat and keep stirring continuously. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes until the caramel begins to thicken slightly.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down. The caramel will thicken further as it cools down.

Making the cake:

Line a loaf tin with baking paper. Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C).
In a large bowl, sift in the dry ingredients - all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
Add orange juice, unsalted butter, and brown sugar to the prepared caramel. Add the soaked fruits, condensed milk, vanilla extract, almonds, cashew, lemon zest, and orange zest.
Place it on medium heat and simmer until the butter melts. Keep stirring continuously. Turn off the heat and let it cool down for 5 minutes.
Add the sifted dry ingredients to this liquid mixture. Take the reserved orange juice from the soaked fruits and add ¼ of the juice to the batter.
Mix the batter well. If the batter is thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of orange juice and adjust the consistency. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1-1½ hours. Do not open the oven door for the first one hour of baking.
To check if the cake is done, insert a skewer in the middle and see if it comes out clean. Depending on the oven, it can take between 1 hour to 1½ hours to be fully baked.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Take it out of the pan and let it cool completely at room temperature. Dust with icing sugar, slice, and serve.

Notes

Making caramel at home gives you the best results in terms of taste, texture, and color of the cake. However, if you want to skip it, use store-bought molasses as an alternative.

I have used an 8x4 inch loaf pan for baking this cake. You can also use a 6-inch round cake tin.

Allow it to cool completely in the tin for at least 30 minutes before removing it or slicing it. This will help the cake set and retain its shape, ensuring neat slices without crumbling.

See the tips section above for more useful tips to make this cake.

Nutrition