Plum Cake/ Dry Fruits Cake

What is Christmas without a fruit cake isn't it? Bangalore bakeries have one of the best plum cakes I think. That sweet goodness always make me drool over even thinking about it. So this Christmas when my cravings got the best of me, I thought I will try to replicate that. And today being my anniversary, I thought I would bake it early and surprise my DH.

First step was to bring the tutti-fruity mix home. They were called Old English Fruit and Peel Mix. They had a recipe that I thought might do justice, but looked some more and found my inspiration everywhere. There are so many Youtube videos and recipes available online that it's unbelievable. So here is my version of the cake.

Prep Time: 15 min (plan ahead to soak the dry fruits) | Baking Time: 60 min | Makes : 8 inch round cake

Ingredients -

To soak -
Dry Fruits and nut mix - 2 cups (I used pineapple chunks, orange & lemon peel, citrons, cherry, dates, raisins)
Orange juice - 2 tbsp.
Chocolate Liquor - 2 tbsp.

Flour - 1-1/4 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp.
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp.
All Spice powder - 1 tsp. (it's a mix of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, dry ginger)
Olive oil / Butter - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 Cup
Eggs - 2
Dark Molasses - 1/2 cup
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp.
Orange zest - 1 tbsp.

Method of Preparation:

~ I prepped all the dry fruits by cutting them really small, since my little one can go either way if she bites into big chunks. 
~ I soaked the dry fruits for couple of days in warm orange juice and chocolate liquor. Plum cakes are usually made with Rum and since we non-alcoholics never have that around the house, I just used chocolate liquor to see how it would turn out. 

Get to baking -
~ Spray the cake pan generously and keep it aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ Sieve, flour, salt, baking soda, all spice powder.
~ In a separate bowl, cream sugar and olive oil together. 
~ Beat eggs into the mix.
~ Add molasses, vanilla essence and the orange zest and mix well.
~ Mix the dry fruits into the flour mix. Coat them well.
~ Now gently fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. 
~ Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Verdict:
It turned out really moist and tasty as I remember the plum cakes to be. Kiddos enjoyed it since there were no nuts in them and completely full of delicious fruits. They all asked for seconds and more than half of the cake of wiped out clean at one go.

Tip: You can cover the pan with foil after 45 minutes if don't want the dark color on the outside. 

Sending this off to Bon Vivant#10 - Festive Feasts going on at my space. 

And to Cook's Joy - Bake Fest#14,

Roshni's Show me your Hits, 

FoodOMania's Christmas Cook-off

Priya's 60 Days to Christmas

Nupur's Come-Celebrate-Indian Sweets
Swathi's Christmas Recipes
Jagruthi's event Know Your Sweetness - Brown Sugar @Krithi's
Simply Food's Let's Cook Edible Gifts for Christmas