Kerala spiced caramel plum cake

Name: Kerala spiced caramel plum cake
Prep time: 30m
Cook time: 60m
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Indian

It’s been a labour of love, discovering the right balance of ingredients for a cake.

Anupa Kurian (Senior Digital Planning Editor)

Cuisine:Indian

Cook time:60m

Prep time:30m

Servings:8

Very important - all ingredients have to be at room temperature before starting, including eggs, butter and even the caramel sauce

225gm of all-purpose flour sifted with 1tspn baking powder and 1tspn baking soda

225gm unsalted butter very soft

150gm caster sugar

50gm brown sugar

30gm of sugar made into caramelised sauce (Take a pan, add the sugar, leave it covered on a low flame, for a few minutes. As it begins to darken and turn nutty, start swirling it around. You have to work fast. Add about 2tblspns of cooking cream in a thin stream while stirring continuously. Take off the flame. Stir. You will have a thick sauce.)

4 big eggs (50+ gms)

2 tspn of vanilla essence

3 tblspn of milk or 2 tblspn cream

1 nutmeg ground

5 cloves ground

1/2tspn cinnamon ground

1/4tspn ginger powder

Optional - 1 cup of black currants, golden raisins and Sultanas - all dry and dusted with some flour prior to adding.

Oven pre-heated to 180°C

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Ingredient Substitution Guide

Not too dense, but with enough body to make it satisfying. I am not one for icing. I prefer fresh cream and toffee sauce as topping. The result is this cake.

Cream the butter and sugar well

Beat butter and sugar till light and airy. Separate the egg yolk and white. Put the egg whites in a cool glass bowl. Whip into stiff peaks. Keep aside

Add the egg yolks one at a time

Add egg yolks one by one. Beat. Add vanilla essence. Beat.

Add flour sifted with baking powder and soda. Bit by bit. Add the spice powders.

Nutmeg add a wonderful Christmas flavour

Add milk/cream alternately. Finally add the caramel sauce.

You have to work quickly for the caramel sauce

Gently fold in the cup of fruit mix, if you’ve opted for it. And the egg whites, too. The movement is a gentle circle and pull down from the centre with a spatula.

Stiff peaks to form - bowl should be cool

Pour the batter into a well-buttered 9-inch round baking tin.

The sugar and butter have to be creamed well

Bake at 180° for 50+ minutes or more depending on your oven.

Check for done by inserting a wooden skewer in the center. If it comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, it is done. Then take it out. Cool, slice and serve.

Serving suggestion: With a dollop of whipped unsweetened double cream or homemade custard.

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