Kerala Plum Cake Recipe / Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe / Rum Flavored Plum Cake Recipe

Everyone will be busy with Christmas preparation and i cant post my plum cake recipe before Christmas. In my childhood days, my dad bought plum cake from store for every Christmas, but after marriage i miss that and i cannot find a good plum cake in my locality. so this time i searched for many plum cake recipes and found a perfect recipe. I baked it on Christmas Eve and it came out very well. My friends tasted and said that the cake is very tasty and perfect. I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy with your family

Prep time: 5 days for soaking

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 5 days and 45 mins

Ingredients:

For soaking:

Dates - 1/2 cup chopped finely

Dry Apricot - 1/2 cup chopped finely

Prunes / Dry Plums - 1/2 cup chopped finely

Dry cherries - 1/2 cup chopped finely

Raisins - 1/2 cup chopped finely

Nuts - 1 cup chopped finely ( Almonds, Walnuts, Cashews )

Tutti frutti - 1/2 cup

Rum Flavor Imitation - 1 1/2 cup

All purpose flour - 3 tbsp for tossing

For caramel syrup:

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Other Ingredients:

Butter - 1 1/4 cup

Sugar - 1 1/4 cup

Vanilla extract - 2 tsp

Eggs - 3

All purpose flour - 2 cups

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Nutmeg - 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Clove powder - 1/2 tsp

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Dr ginger powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Step by step pictures:

Finely chop the dry fruits and nuts

Add Rum flavor to the dry fruits and nuts,soak them 

Soaked dry fruits and nuts

Add all purpose flour to the dry fruits

Toss the flour well

Take butter in a bowl

Add sugar to the bowl

Add Vanilla extract to it

Beat it well with a electric beater

Creamy texture after beating 

Add eggs to it

Pic after beating the eggs

Take sugar in a pan and follow the instruction in step no 5 and form a caramel syrup

Adding caramel syrup 

Add first batch of flour

pic after mixing the flour

Add in remaining caramel syrup

Add remaining flour to it

Pic after adding 2 nd batch of flour

Add in spice powders and salt

Add baking soda and baking powder

Mix it well

Add soaked dry fruits and nuts to it.

Fold it well gently

Grease the baking tray with butter

Transfer the mixture to a tray and bake for 45 minutes

Insert a tooth pick, if it come out clean then cake is ready

Method:

1.Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C

2. Combine all the dry fruits and soak them in a rum flavor for at least one day. I soaked it for 5 days.

3. Extract the rum from the dry fruits and toss it with 3 tbsp of all purpose flour.

4. Grease the baking tray with butter well.

5. Take 1/2 cup of sugar in a non stick pan and heat in a medium heat. The sugar will slowly start to melt and turn in to a brown color.  Now remove from the heat and add water. It will crystallize again so heat till the sugar dissolve and become watery. Now the caramel syrup is ready.

6. In a wide bowl, take butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat it well with the electric beater till creamy.

7. Add eggs and again beat it well. Now add 1/2 of caramel syrup and 1 cup of all purpose flour and beat it well.

8. Now add remaining caramel syrup and another 1 cup of all purpose flour, Beat it well.

9.  Now add baking powder, baking soda and spice powders and mix it well.

10. Add the dry fruits and mix it well by a folding method gently.

11. Transfer everything to a greased tray and bake it for 45  to 50 minutes. Insert a tooth pick inside a cake and if it comes clean then the cake is ready.

Soy Bundle Recipe

Soya chunks are odorless and tasteless food item, but this unique food is high in nutritional and full of rich proteins. Soya chunks are also called as soya nuggets. Soya nuggets provides a good amount of vitamins, minerals,fiber and protein for growing children. It also contains high amount of fiber, it helps in loosing weight as well. But it is impossible to make our kids to eat this nutritional food, so thought of preparing a attractive snack. This is very easy to prepare  and tasty with hot tea or coffee.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ingredients:

Puff pastry sheet - 1

Wheat flour - for dusting

For Stuffing:

Soya chunks - 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp

Onion - 1, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

Green chili - 1

Tomato - 1, chopped

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 spring

Cilantro - few

Salt to taste

Butter - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Take the sheets of puff pastry out and thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

2. Boil water with little amount of salt, add soya chunks in water for 2 minutes. Drain the water and squeeze excess of water. 

3. Add these squeezed soya chunks in a mixer and grind it. Now shredded soya chunks is ready.

4. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and onion, saute till it turns translucent. Add curry leaves and ginger garlic paste , saute till the raw smell leaves.

5. Now add green chili and tomato, saute till it turns mushy. 

6. Add all the spice powders and Shredded soya chunks. Give a good mix.

7. Add salt and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, now the stuffing is ready.

8. Preheat the oven to 350F.

9.Lay out a puff pastry sheet on a floor and using a round cutter, cut round shapes in a sheet and stuff the soya chunk masala in the center and form it into a bundle shape.

10. Brush the butter on top of it. Place them on a greased tray and bake it for about 40 minutes.

11. Now soy bundle is ready, serve it with ketchup or green chutney.

Roasted Phool Makhana / Roasted Fox nuts / Roasted Lotus seeds

Looking for a healthy and quick evening snack, try this roasted phool makhana / Fox nut. It takes only 7 to 10 minutes to prepare. Phool makhana / fox nut  is good for health.  Fox nuts are considered superior to nuts such as almonds, cashews etc. It is high on antioxidant, fiber and low on saturated fats and Sodium. 

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Phool makhana / Fox nuts / Lotus seeds - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

chaat masala - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1.Heat oil in a pan, add lotus seeds and roast till it turns crispy.

2. Add all the spice powders, salt and give a good mix till all the seeds are well coated by masala.

3. Sprinkle chaat masala before serving. Serve it with hot tea.