Nagercoil Plum Cake. The reason I named this recipe Nagercoil plum cake or more accurately, Greatest Bakery Plum cake is because I had this in my place since my childhood and haven't had such a luscious tasting cake anywhere else. And I bet you won't find this anywhere else in the world. It brings a lot of sweet memories and nostalgia about so many recipes and flavors of my home town. To prove it wrong you should first taste this cake from my place. Do try out this recipe, but my native cake is much more rich and sophisticated than my recipe. I tried to find out the ingredients needed for this cake and read about this recipe from another blogger. I made changes and finally ended up here.
INGREDIENTS :
All Purpose Flour - 2 1/2 cups
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Large Eggs - 2
Butter - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 2 Tsp
Cloves - 10nos(slightly pounded)
Nutmeg Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Shahjeera - 1 Tsp (coarse powder)
Salt -1/4 Tsp
Orange Zest -1/2 Tsp
Orange Juice Fresh - 1/2 Cup
Apple Cider - 1/2 Cup
Prunes or dried Plums -3 Cups
Black Raisins - 2 Cups
Cashew Nut Chopped - 1 Cup
METHOD :
The method needs some make ahead steps. You can even do them a week ahead and refrigerate.
The first step is soaking the dry fruits. Soak the raisins in half cup orange juice and half cup water along with a quarter cup apple cider. You can leave them overnight at room temperature or until ready to use, in the refrigerator. Drain excess liquid when adding to the cake batter.
Next make the caramel syrup. In a pan over medium heat mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoon water and mix until sugar dissolves. Give it a gentle stir and let it caramelize to a deep golden color. When completely caramelized, add half more cup of water and make a brown syrup out of this mixture.
The last make ahead thing is the plum puree. Chop 2 cups of prunes and mix with 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup apple cider and cook on medium flame until the prunes are soft. Cool down the mixture and puree them. To this add the other cup of finely chopped prunes and keep aside.
Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Use a 2lb bread loaf pan or a bundt pan. These pans help the heat to get through well because the batter is kind of thick. Grease and dust the pan and keep aside.
INGREDIENTS :
All Purpose Flour - 2 1/2 cups
Sugar - 2 1/2 cups
Large Eggs - 2
Butter - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 2 Tsp
Cloves - 10nos(slightly pounded)
Nutmeg Powder - 1/4 Tsp
Shahjeera - 1 Tsp (coarse powder)
Salt -1/4 Tsp
Orange Zest -1/2 Tsp
Orange Juice Fresh - 1/2 Cup
Apple Cider - 1/2 Cup
Prunes or dried Plums -3 Cups
Cashew Nut Chopped - 1 Cup
METHOD :
The method needs some make ahead steps. You can even do them a week ahead and refrigerate.
The first step is soaking the dry fruits. Soak the raisins in half cup orange juice and half cup water along with a quarter cup apple cider. You can leave them overnight at room temperature or until ready to use, in the refrigerator. Drain excess liquid when adding to the cake batter.
Next make the caramel syrup. In a pan over medium heat mix 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoon water and mix until sugar dissolves. Give it a gentle stir and let it caramelize to a deep golden color. When completely caramelized, add half more cup of water and make a brown syrup out of this mixture.
The last make ahead thing is the plum puree. Chop 2 cups of prunes and mix with 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup apple cider and cook on medium flame until the prunes are soft. Cool down the mixture and puree them. To this add the other cup of finely chopped prunes and keep aside.
Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Use a 2lb bread loaf pan or a bundt pan. These pans help the heat to get through well because the batter is kind of thick. Grease and dust the pan and keep aside.
In a mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt, the pounded cloves and shahjeera and mix them well.
Cream the remaining 2 cups of sugar and butter. It's always better to have room temperature butter and eggs. To the sugar-butter mix, add the eggs, one at a time and the orange zest and continue creaming while still adding the caramel syrup. To this start adding the flour and the raisin puree alternately. When done, fold in the soaked raisins and the chopped cashew nuts with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. Test by poking a toothpick into the cake. It should come out clean. If not, bake for another ten to fifteen minutes. The outside can be dark and that is perfectly fine. Remove from oven and let it cool down completely. The longer it sits in the pantry, the more heavenly it tastes. If you love baking and cakes, this recipe is a must-try.
Cream the remaining 2 cups of sugar and butter. It's always better to have room temperature butter and eggs. To the sugar-butter mix, add the eggs, one at a time and the orange zest and continue creaming while still adding the caramel syrup. To this start adding the flour and the raisin puree alternately. When done, fold in the soaked raisins and the chopped cashew nuts with a spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. Test by poking a toothpick into the cake. It should come out clean. If not, bake for another ten to fifteen minutes. The outside can be dark and that is perfectly fine. Remove from oven and let it cool down completely. The longer it sits in the pantry, the more heavenly it tastes. If you love baking and cakes, this recipe is a must-try.
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