Kerala Plum Cake or Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe – a delicious and easy step by step recipe for fruit cake or Kerala plum cake, that’s perfect for Christmas or really, all year round.
Christmas in Kerala is what memories are made of. I haven’t come back in 6 years so this year is extra special. Except for once or twice when I was a kid, Amma hasn’t made fruit cake at home from scratch because every year we are inundated with fruit cakes from friends celebrating Christmas.
This year’s first cake is this Kerala plum cake from Omana Paul, a popular caterer and good friend of ours. Their plum cake is very popular and they make thousands at this time of the year. Amma had the recipe so I wanted to share it in time for Christmas. I have also shared an eggless fruit cake recipe if that’s what you are after. This tutti frutti cake is perfect for those who don’t really like plum cakes or raisins. I have a few of those in my family too but tutti frutti, they love!
Also check out a list of easy Christmas cakes and cookies.
This fruit cake recipe doesn’t need you to soak the dry fruits in advance and it’s alcohol-free so you can make the cake instantly just before you need it.
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Kerala Fruit Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: One 6" cake 1x
- Category: Cake
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
Kerala Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe Makes one 6″ cake Recipe adapted from Omana Paul
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1/2 cup chopped cashew nuts
- 1/4 cup black raisins
- 1/2 cup mixed dry fruits (dates, cherries, orange peels, etc)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (for sugar syrup)
- 3/4 cup white sugar (for cake batter)
- 2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp clove powder (see notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a pan on medium heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar slowly.
- It will first melt and then turn into a dark brown goop. Keep stirring and let it turn a deep dark caramel colour. Don’t let it burn.
- Turn off heat and add about 1/4 cup water. The sugar will harden.
- Turn the heat back on and slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve.
- This will take around 10 mins.
- Let this cool and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 350F / 180C.
- Add 3 tbsp flour to the dry fruits and nuts and dredge completely to coat it. This is so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the batter while baking. Set aside.
- Mix the remaining flour and baking powder, spices, and salt until well combined.
- Beat the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until fluffy – about 10 mins by hand, 3-4 mins with an electric beater. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Next, add 1 egg and beat. Then add a bit of the flour mixture and fold. Likewise, alternate between the eggs and flour mixture until they are used up.
- Add the cooled caramel and dredged fruits and gently fold in. Pour batter into a greased cake pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 50-55 mins until the top turns a dark brown and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs.
- Start checking from 45 mins to see if the cake is done.
- The top will look like it’s overdone but don’t worry, make sure the inside is also completely cooked.
- Dust with icing sugar when the cake is completely cooled
Step by Step Kerala Plum Cake / Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe
This Kerala plum cake recipe requires you to caramelise sugar into a thick sugar syrup. Don’t be like me and worry about it, it’s really not that hard, you just need to be careful while doing it.
In a pan on medium heat, melt 1/2 cup sugar slowly.
It will first melt and then turn into a dark brown syrup. Keep stirring and let it turn a deep dark caramel colour. Don’t let it burn.
In the pic above, the sugar is just starting to melt along the sides. Gently stir to get it going.
More of the sugar is now melting and you should start getting the smell of caramel at this stage. Stir occasionally and keep heating.
When it reaches the stage as shown in the above picture, you are ready to move on to the next step.
Turn off heat and add 1/4 cup water to the sugar syrup. The syrup will harden a bit and sizzle.
Turn the heat back on and slowly heat the mixture until the sugar crystals dissolve.
This will take around 10 mins and the mixture will foam and bubble a bit. Once all the sugar crystals are dissolved and you get a smooth syrup, turn off heat. Set aside and let this mixture cool while you proceed with the preparation of the fruit cake.
Set the oven to pre heat at 350F / 180C.
Add 3 tbsp flour to the dry fruits and nuts and dredge completely to coat it. This is so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the batter while baking. Set aside.
Mix the remaining flour with baking powder, spices, and salt until well combined.
Mix the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until soft – about 5-6 mins by hand, 2 mins with an electric beater.
Add vanilla and mix until combined.
Next, add 1 egg and beat well until incorporated.
Then add 1/3 of the flour mixture and fold gently. 
Likewise, alternate between the eggs and flour mixture until they are used up.
Add the cooled sugar syrup and dredged fruits and gently fold in.
Grease a 6″ cake pan generously with butter
Pour batter into the cake pan and smooth the top gently if uneven
Bake for 50-55 mins until the top turns a dark brown and when a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with dry crumbs. You can start checking from 45 mins in case your oven bakes the cake faster.
The top may look like it’s overdone but don’t worry about that, it’s just the sugar syrup giving the cake crumb a darker colour. Make sure the inside is also completely cooked before you take the cake out of the oven.
Typically these are not frosted so just dust the Kerala plum cake with icing sugar when the cake is completely cooled and store in airtight containers in room temperature for up to three days.
Notes:
- The amount of fruits and what type you want to use is entirely up to you. I’d recommend to use orange peels if you can because it enhances the flavour a lot. I have also made this cake just with cashew nuts and dates with some raisins and that’s worked really well too
- If you plan to ice the cake, reduce sugar by 1/3 cup. This cake is sweet enough on its own.
- I have updated the recipe with cinnamon powder and clove powder I bought readymade but you can also powder together 1 clove + 1 cardamom pod + small piece of cinnamon + a pinch nutmeg to add to the cake if you have the whole spices handy
- I adjusted the amount of sugar from my original recipe since I found the cake too sweet but if you tried my original recipe and liked it in the past, the measurement for sugar used was 1/2 cup sugar for the syrup and 1 cup in the batter. I have now adjusted it to 3/4 cup for the batter.
- What is Kerala plum cake? I get this question a lot especially why this cake is called “plum cake” if there are no plums in the cake. Well, I am not entirely sure either but fruit cake is called plum cake in Kerala and maybe traditionally it always involved plums and the recipe has evolved.
- If you don’t want to make the sugar syrup for Christmas cake from scratch, you can buy treacle from stores. It’s a thick sugar syrup that may also include molasses. Use 1/4 cup in place of the sugar syrup in this recipe.
- You can replace the cashew nuts with almonds or walnuts too but personally I love cashew nuts in fruit cake.
- The cake will be a bit tough to unmould if you don’t grease the cake pan generously
For Christmas fruit cake / Kerala plum cake recipe in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
Thank you for this fabulous recipe
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I have made this every week since Dec 2019. I have made some tweaks but the original recipe is fantastic. We live away from home and this cake takes us to Kerala with every bite. I have tried many recipes before this but this is the closest one to my mother’s own recipe that has been a hit for the past 45 years! I grew up helping her make this and now my kids do the same. Thank you so much Nags. I love everything about this post.
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thank you so much for the kind words
Can you let me know how to use orange peel? Never used till now.
And also what should be the ratio and bake time for 9″ tray?
I buy dried orange peel and just add it with the dry fruits, chopped fine. For using 9″ tray you can increase the ingredients quantity to 1.5x. Baking time will depend – just test with a skewer to make sure it’s not coming out with we batter
Tried the fruit cake turned out perfect. Thanks for the detailed recipe.👍
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Thank you Nisha!
Hello,
Super easy recipe ! Loved it !
But the insides of my cake did not turn brown.
It was a light yellow !!
Any idea why ?
Thank you !!
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My guess would be that the caramel wasn’t dark enough? Or the dates were not darker?
Thank you so much for this recipe! I don’t bake usually and this was my first from the scratch cake trial. I did try plum cake from some other recipe site and it was a flop 😞 so I was a bit uncertain about baking at all. But I did soak dry fruits in spiced rum so I was left with no other option! But am I so glad I tried this!! Can’t thank you enough!!! You are a life saver🤩❤️
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So happy to hear that Divya!
Hi…:) Hope you’re doing good.. I’m a beginner in baking and I so wanted to try a plum cake. When I googled for recipies, I found yours and just followed the recipe. I tweaked the recipe a bit by heating orange juice and I let the dry fruits cook in it.. Everything else was what you had written. I must say, the cake was delishhhhh! I could really get that plum cake feel.. While it could have been a bit more flavourful, I really really liked it. It was soooo goooood.. And super glad my sugar syrup also turned out to be in the right consistency..
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe..😊
Thank you so much! Do leave a 5* review next time 🙂
Hello. Loved this recipe. Im in the US and tried making this with regular sugar. It was too sweet. For people using regular sugar in the US MIGHT need to just use 1/2 cup sugar for the batter. Other than that soft and delicious cake. I may add more cloves next time. And add the fruits and nuts only after tapping the pan to get rid of the bubbles. I tapped the pan quite a few times ard and they went to the bottom. Your recipe is great! My techniques need to improve 😅
Thank you veena 🙂
Girl this recipe is amazing. Just tried it and it came out perfect!! Just reduced a bit of sugar as per my taste, but rest of the recipe was superb!
I do find this a bit sweet for my taste too but majority have preferred this level of sweetness so I didn’t edit the quantity. Thank you for leaving a comment 🙂
Hi Nags,
I must say that this is my go to recipe for plum cakes for years now. One that brings a lot of compliments all the time. I substitute with wheat flour and brown sugar and is always a winner.
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Thank you Sindu! 🙂
Hi , I tried this recipe and its rlly good.
Have to make a lot of batches soon, so can I double the recipe? I heard that doubling the recipe cn lead to disasters so I’m a little scared 😬 and also my top is cracking is there any solution to fix that?
Doubling the recipe is fine if you still bake in two pans. Cracking is normally due to uneven oven temperature. Try moving the pan further up or down in the oven if you can. Also get an oven thermometer if you bake a lot, much more accurate than temp marked on the oven itself. Good luck 🙂
Hey Nags.. This looks like a great recipe..I wanna try this out but have an 8 inch cake tin.. By how what amount can I increase the ingredients.. Could you please help
you can try 1.5x the ingredients
Very similar to the one I made as a test. I am going to replace the white sugar with brown and I hope it gives more color because the one I made earlier turned out to be light brown/caramel color instead of the usual plum cake color which we get.
I tried the eggless version and for that, I added baking soda and vinegar to the mix and it came out just fine. Thanks for sharing your recipe because it is very clear and to the point. Do please share other recipes too.
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This is great and which am looking for a simple recipe..
We will try soon and come back with the result
I have not tried it, want to try it. Looks yummy.
Great recipe, Nags. We made this, substituting wheat flour for flour and jaggery with sugar. Turned out exceedingly good.
Thank you for the simple steps.
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oh wow! thank you so much for the kind words!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I made 5 cakes for this Christmas
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i am so glad to hear that!!
Made plum cake for the first time yesterday. It turned out to be super delicious, Soft nd yummy. loved it. Thanks
yay! this plum cake recipe is definitely a winner!
Made plum cake for the first time yesterday. It turned out to be awesome. Soft nd yummy. loved it. Thanks
My caramel hardened by the time I was done with the cake batter! Any solution for that?
it got overcooked that’s why. you need to take off the heat a bit earlier than you did
I checked a couple of recipes and decided to go ahead with this one! Looks easy n yummy! I am going to try the recipe today to bake a cake before Christmas.
Just wondering if I can replace butter with oil? If yes, which oil and how much quantity for one cup flour?
Also, I have soaked fruits in half a cup of rum for a while now and there is hardly any left as it has been absorbed by the fruits. Should I add more rum ? How much can I add?
no need to add more rum, just add the fruits as is, the rum will get released into the cake as it bakes. you can’t substitute oil directly in this recipe, the measurements will need to reworked and i haven’t tried that yet
Can I use brown sugar instead?
yes you can! some have even used jaggery
I tried ur recipe and the cake was really tasty. Thank you.
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How many grams is in one cup of butter?
240 grams
You forgot the plums!
I made this again this year for a Christmas party and got loads of compliments 😊 Thank you
Hi Nags
This is my go to recipe, so simple so awesome just like the plum cake back home, thanks for a great recipe!
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Best Recipe. I followed exactly and came out best, However it was a little more sweet for me, so I took 4 egg s and 1.5 cup flour and some more dry fruits. everything else is same quantity.
In this recipe, does “flour” mean All purpose flour or wheat flour?
all purpose flour
Tried plum cake for the first time and it came out perfect . The nutmeg, orange peel all worked wonders. I felt it can be a bit more sweeter . Also soaking the raisins in orange juice overnight will make to softer . Thanks again for this wonderful recipe .
thank you Smita. Do leave a rating next time 🙂
I tried this out 2 days ago and I tasted it right out of the oven and it felt cloyingly sweet. I thought I should have cut down on the sugar as some reviewers have suggested. But it tasted so much better the next day and even better on the third day. I felt the sugar level was perfect for the cake. Thank you for such an authentic recipe 🙂
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How much is 1 cup in grams in this recipe?
240 grams
It’s an awesome recipie n I m thankful to u for sharing such..my daughter’s first Xmas will be with this cake I baked
This cake is the best. Everyone who tasted it loved this cake including my fussy hubby who doesn’t like most of my cakes 😀
I divided the batter between two 5 inch pans and baked for 55 mins.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe
thank you!
Can rum be fed to the prepared cake?
sure!
This is an awesome recipe. It turned out really good. Loved the caramel taste in each bite. Will make it again for a Christmas party in a week. Question – IS the crust supposed to be a bit hard and chewy? The inside was quite crumbly and perfect. Will this cake become moist the next day? IS so I would like to bake it a day in advance for my party
Hi Nags, thank you for sharing this recipe, looks delicious. Could you tell me what is the height of your 6″ cake pan? I have a 6″ diameter cake pan with 1.7″ height. do you think I could bake on that or the cake just going to flow out? And another question, I have sugar cane molasses, could i use that instead of making the syrup (just to save some time)? I’m certain I can, but just wondering it whether it will change the moisture of the cake or something like that. If so, how many tbsp should I use? Sorry for the questionnaire, I’m really willing to bake this soon, certainly not waiting for Christmas. 😛
My cake pan is much taller, around 4″.
I am not sure molasses are a direct substitute. It’ll be an experiment with uncertain results 🙂
Hello. I tried this cake two weeks back and I have made it four times till now, that’s how amazing this recipe is. Thank you !
Although I have one problem. No matter how much i dredge my dry fruits in flour they still sink to the bottom. Please help?
Thank you! It’s because of the weight of the fruits. You can try to add it on top of the batter rather than mixing then in 🙂
Good recipe.. my cake was awesome. .. Thanks for the recipe..
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Thank you!
This is the first time I did the cake on my own! Your recipe with the pictures helped me a lot! My husband liked this! Thank you so much dear😊
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I am so glad! thank you
I am definitely not waiting till Christmas to try this. The cake looks so wonderful and delicious! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Hey super yummy cake !!!thanks for the recipe , my kids loved it.
Please share home made chocolate Recipe
thank you!
Hey!!amazing recipe…just one favour..can I get the measurements in grams?or could you just give me the size of the measurement cups?
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my 1 cup is 240 ml. Thanks!
Hi 🙂 M not very fond of the caramel taste in general….What can i substitute for that?
hmmm i’d recommend you try another cake recipe then 🙂 this one is all about the caramel
Hi
I love this recipe and my kids , the cake came out so good thanks for sharing
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thank you so much!
Hello,
I was searching for a plum cake recipie to make this Christmas and stumbled upon yours , your recipie was simple and detailed with all the steps , made around 5 cakes and my friends were very impressed , thanks for sharing
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so glad to hear this!
Excellent recipe thanks for sharing I tried tis and came out very well.
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thank you grace
Thank you so much, Nags. Easily the best recipe. I didn’t add tutti fruiti to my cake though. Instead added chopped dates, figs, prunes and orange peel from a fresh orange. They worked great. I had some molasses but didn’t want to change anything with the recipe. But just curious…can I use molasses instead of sugar syrup/treacle? If so, how much? Would it work the same way?
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molasses are thicker so may not work the same way in terms of getting the consistency right. I’d give it a try and maybe add some water to the batter.
I tried with 1/4 cup of molasses and it worked just fine, love the recipe and loved the cake, it will be a Christmas tradition for us now 🙂
great idea! thank you
Hey, have you tried this recipe by soaking the dry fruits in rum? If yes, could you share the modifications you made?
you can soak the fruits in 1 cup of rum, drain, and follow recipe 🙂
Hi …
Yesterday I made plum cake according to your recipe.it was so tasty,so soft and so good.everybody loved this recipe.thank u so much for this wonderful recipe.but there was one problem that my cake baked 15 mnts early than what u said.may be the difference in ovens
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yes baking time can vary based on oven and also temperature which tends to be different from what the setting on oven claims. thank you so much for the kind words
sorry to hear that roshan. could be that your butter was too soft or you added too much water to the sugar syrup/didn’t cook it down well enough. it’s really hard to troubleshoot a cake without knowing what exactly you did
Hi Nags..i wanna try this recipe…….can i use cooker…..instead of oven…. Will that make difference
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you can try, please check out my post on how to make cake in pressure cooker
Hi dear
I am planning to do your recipe this weekend f as I found it absolutely wonderful and easy. I have only one question.. can I double the recipe and bake in two pans?
Looking forward to receiving your reply
Thanks
Tina
yes sure!
Hi, I made this cake today. It was yummy. But I found it to be bit moist,I couldn’t make perfect slices since we started to eat when it was still warm. I added 1/4 banana and 2-4 tablespoons of apple juice in which I had soaked fruit and nuts. Is this the reason I got moist cake? Kindly help me to fix it. Thanks
Hi….I’m a novice at baking and stumbled upon your recipe yesterday. Baked this cake for my father’s birthday today as he lives fruitcake…. I.e 2nd April….And it was perfect…I still can’t believe that I have baked such an awesome cake…It tastes like store bought one without the Sicily sweet taste….I’m swooning still…Thanks a ton…This will be my go to recipe now
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thank you so much!
Hi….I’m a novice at baking and stumbled upon your recipe yesterday. Baked this cake for my father’s birthday today as he lives fruitcake…. I.e 2nd April….And it was perfect…I still can’t believe that I have baked such an awesome cake…It tastes like store bought one without the Sicily sweet taste….I’m swooning still…Thanks a ton…This will be my go to recipe now
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thank u very much for u r recipe to make plum n short time, mam thought making plum cake was a big issues but ur making and teaching methods step step with pic really marvellous mam thanks again, pls send me methods of making different types of cake pls God bless u
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Hi Nags
Thanks so much for the quick and easy recipe for a plum cake that looks like it took hours to prepare and tastes exactly like the ones you get back home! I made it in a bundt pan and it was a little tough to unmould but like you said I will butter up the cake pan more next time. This is a keeper! Thanks Nag love your site
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thank you so much for the kind words sonia
Absolutely fantastic recipe!
I made this cake last week following the recipe exactly except with the addition of one mashed banana. Baked in a 9″ round pan for 55 min. Turned out absolutely amazing – the caramel tastes so rich and it seems to get better with time!
The mashed banana made it moist without changing the taste of the cake. The only change I’d make next time is to use a smaller pan as the slices were thin.
And now that I’m hooked on to the taste of caramel I’m looking forward to making a simple banana bread with caramel.
Thank you for this keeper of a recipe…I think it is better than most store-bought plum cakes!
Adding banana is a great idea! I agree the caramel is addictive and gets better with time and it’ll work really well as a base for other cakes too.
Hi Nags,
So, I made this plum cake. I did send you SOS signals regarding the caramel becoming hard… but I just trusted my instincts, warmed it up a little and it melted!! 🙂
The cake turned out awesome. It had a crusty top which I loved and the inside was soft and sweet. The fruits however sunk to the bottom. Also, I had to use a 9″ baking pan… not sure if it was because of different cup measurements.
Thanks for the recipe. It helped me get out of my comfort zone and try the much eluding plum cake!
Priya
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Thanks Priya and sorry I couldn’t reply you earlier. Was moving homes and had no wi-fi at all 🙂
Hi , made this today. It tasted yum.but the top crumb was burnt completely d rest was perfect though.its not just with ur recipie most of d time this is d issue.i kept it for 55 mins at 170c just in 15 mins I got the perfect crumb colour but d inside was gooyey n cooked only in 50 mins..shud I cover it with a foil? If I do will it raise ? I m amateur in baking.ur guidance will b of great help.
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seems like your oven temperature is off. or you are placing the cake too high in the oven. make sure you place in the centre rack. after our cake has baked for 2/3 of the time, you can cover loosely with foil without affecting outcome so yes, definitely try that too
You could always try this!
take a long piece of foil and place a couple of wet kitchen towels and wrap the foil around it. Now wrap this around the cake.
What happens is that the outside cooks faster than the inside because the inside is insulated so the outside gets overcooked. the aluminum foil/kitchen towels keep the outside cooler so it all cooks evenly.
Excellent recipe. Thank you
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I tried this yesterday, and it was yum ! You forgot to mention that it gets darker and yummier the morning after 🙂
I was wondering about the measurements though. When I weighed 1 cup (240 ml) of flour, it was only some 100-something mg. So I used the weighted measures for all the other ingredients, which resulted in a much bigger cake.
Next time I’ll try it using the cup measure, maybe I’ll get a smaller 6-in cake 🙂
Anyways, thanks a ton for this easy recipe, love it !!
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glad you liked it anu!
Hi Nags
I have tried this recipe 3-4 times already and it has come out well every time.. Only problem is the fruits were settled down inspire of dredging them in the flour.. Any suggestions? I used half the measurement of sugar since the given measurement will make cake super sweet.. ( I made cake with 3 cups of flour). Thanks a lot and Merry Christmas!
try using more flour to dredge. it’s also possible that the batter is too loose in the way you mix it. just fold after adding flour, do not overbeat
Hi Nags,
I tried making the sugar syrup yesterday. But when I let it cool it turned rock solid. Did I boil it too long? Or is that how it’s supposed to be? Can I add some water and try boiling it again? Please help!
Priya
tried your recipe. The cake was very sweet. Didn’t get the colour as you shown in the image.
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Seems like the sugar wasn’t caramelised properly. I have mentioned in a couple of places that this recipe does make a sweet fruit cake and you should adjust to your taste. Maybe try with 1/2 cup sugar for syrup and 1/2 cup in batter next time?
Hi Nags, looking forward to make this cake for this xmas 🙂 pls cud u confirm if I’m right in guessing that 1 cup flour wud be 200gms (as per your cup size) and 2/3rd cup butter is 150gms(googled it) ? If possible plz cud u Let me know the measurement in grams of flour, butter and sugar. I’ve seen that many ppl use same weight for all these three ingredients. Can that be right ? Pls advice 🙂
Hi Cherry, my one cup is 240 grams so you can use that conversion if it’s easier 🙂
Hi dear
Wud like to.try ur cake…we live in u.s…here the cup.measuremt is diff than india…and we dont scale to measure in gms..pls help.wud like to.bke before chtistmas.
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Just use whatever cups you have, as long as you are using the same set for all ingredients, it should work out fine. The eggs in Singapore are similar in size to US. For reference, should be around 55gm each.
Wow ! Nice recipe of Kerala Plum Cake. This Christmas, we will have a try.. Nicely wrote and detailed images are too good. Thanks !
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Incidentally I had a plum cake this morning and then I stumbled upon this . This is so christmas, This is so memories
Thank you! I know the feeling 🙂
Hey Nags, love your recipes. I would like to try this Plum cake recipe, and I’m wondering if you have ever baked this in a loaf pan? and if so, how would that change the time/oven temp? Thanks much.
Hi there Irene, thank you for the kind words 🙂 I haven’t tried this specific recipe in a loaf pan but it should definitely work. Just start checking at the 40 minute mark but baking time shouldn’t vary too much. Make sure to fill the loaf pan less than 3/4 of the way otherwise the centre may not cook well.
Will give it a try and let you know how it turns out.
So, my ‘cakes’ came out perfect! I made some changes… I doubled your recipe, and they fit perfectly in 6 mini loaf pans, and I baked it for 40 mins. Thanks for the recipe. I am so excited! Now everyone’s getting fruit cake for Christmas!
Hi Nags,
I am going to try out this recipe for Christmas.
Can I use the electric blender after adding the flour as well? Or do I just fold it in? Since I have to add 3 eggs alternating with flour I got confused if I can use the electric blender or not.
Also, I have soaked the fruits in some home-made wine, just to add a little flavour. Can I use them just like you have mentioned?
Priya
Hi Priya, you can use the electric blender after adding flour and eggs and beat briefly after each addition. Just be careful not to overbeat once the flour starts getting added, otherwise the cake will turn a bit rubbery. Honestly, I didn’t use an electric beater at all the last time I baked this and it still came out super good. You can definitely add presoaked fruits too, just be aware the batter will be more moist and may need to be baked a tad longer. Start checking from the 45 minute mark.
Thanks Nags. Let me try it. I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Priya
Been making this cake for over 3 years now and love it. I was originally worried about making the syrup but now feel like a pro.. lol… Thank you for updating stepwise pictures of the fruit cake. I usually skip the nuts but think I should now add after seeing your last picture.. haha 😀
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thank you jill!
Am I able to leave this cake out in room temperature for a few days or must it be refrigerated? Btw, I’ve tried the recipe may times and it’s always a hit.
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thank you surya! I have left it out for 4 days with no issues but haven’t tried longer than that
Could i put aluminium foil on the top part of the pan after 45 mins to avoid the top from burning?
sure!
For plum cake do u have any eggless cake recipe…..
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Yes you can try this eggless plum cake recipe
Hi nags,
I just love this recipe of your it’s hit in hubby’s office I get special request for this cake during Christmas season. I have been baking this cake from last 3years regularly ,thanks for this awesome recipe.
thank you so much for the kinds words neeta!
Thank you Nags for this awesome recipe& due credit to your mom for measurements.. I did the non alcoholic version with orange juice and it turned out awesome. Even my mom loved it. I was anxious about making caramel and did burn it once. Good thing I tasted burnt caramel so that I know how not to burn it 😉 This one is a keeper
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Thank you so much Anjana! Thanks for the review too, happy holidays!
Lovely, I tried this today .it turned out perfect. Except for the raisins again settled at the bottom . Thanks for this alcohol free recipe!!
so glad it turned out well 🙂
This was the first time I tried baking a cake. It was a super-duper hit ! Followed the detailed instructions to the tee. I am yet to find a recipe that hasn’t failed me on this site, Nags. Hats off to your Amma who remembered this recipe.
Thank you so much for the kind words Anjana 🙂
Is it okay if I add some rum to the caramel instead of water? If the rum might evaporate, can I make it part water and part rum, and lower the temperature for the sugar to melt?
Hi Raveena, you can just add some rum or brandy to the mixed fruits and then add it to the batter or even to the batter directly. There’s no need to cook with the sugar. Hope that helps.
Thank u so much for this recipe . I was looking for the perfect fruit cake recipe and this was it . Many thanks to you and Omana Paul for it . The cake was such a hit that it was oer on Christmas day itself and i have promised to bake it one more time for the new year before school starts . The only thing i added differently were the dry fruits which i had already soaked in rum …….but it only made the cake tastier . Thanks once again for this recipe .
Hello Nags,
The cake looks really yummy n I desperately want to try it. Have a small confusion though, in an earlier comment u mentioned ur cup measure to approximately 200gms, where as if u r using a 200 ml cup, the flour measure will be about 100 gms. Could u please tell me the cup measure that u use in all ur baking recipes
Prathibha, my cup weights out 200grams of sugar and approximately the amount of flour and 200ml of water. These are the only ingredients I have tried to test out because every ingredient that you measure out 1 cup of will differ in weight (because of volume differences). This is the reason why I choose to measure in cups while baking.
I am not sure how 200ml cup will measure out only 100gm flour. That doesn't sound right to me, I would assume 200ml is approximately same as 200grams.
That's right.
Actually I too use a 200ml cup for measuring n sometimes a scale too. As far as I've seen, if I measure out 1 cup of flour, it's about 100 gms or a lil more. Anyway, I'll try it ur way. U've used a 200ml cup to measure the flour n all the other ingredients right?
Thanks a lot Nagalakshmi n wish u a very happy n prosperous year ahead 🙂
I baked this cake yesterday for my mother and she was soooooo impressed. It was just perfect! And the best cake we have ever baked at home. Thank you so much.
Hi Nagalakshmi,
Thank you so much for this superb recipe, I was having guests over for Christmas and wanted to bake a fruit cake myself so i looked up the internet and found yours the most simple one. I made the cake and I must tell you it turned out too good, all my guests were really impressed by it.
Hi Nagalakshmi,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe.I tried it two days back and it turned out very delicious..It was easy to prepare thanks for the clear steps mentioned.
Hi Nagalakshmi,
I tried this for xmas 2012, it came out really well – Yummmm!! I ll be making another batch next week :). Thanks for sharing 🙂 🙂 🙂
-Anu
Hey Nagalakshmi,
I tried this cake for xmas 2012. It came out really well – Yummm!! I ll be making another batch soon. Thanks a lot for sharing 🙂 🙂
-Anu.
Hi..I tried this cake for this Christmas and it was so good. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Hello, thanks for the wonderful recipe, I tried it 2 days back and it came out excellent in taste, although the raisins sank to the bottom. I'm planning to bake it again soon. Could you tell me the cup measurement that is used here. I used170 gm as my measurement for one cup. Since the number of eggs is fixed, which is 3,I'm assuming the cup has to be fixed in weight as well. Awaiting your reply, before I go n bake it again 🙂 thanks!
hey there, for the sinking fruits, try adding 2 tbsp dry flour to it, mix well, and then add to the batter. my cup is approximately 200gm. good luck and merry christmas!
Plum cake came out excellent…………….Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
I tried it, It turned out really well and tasty. The recipe was not that hard and the best part is alchohol free. The only issue I had was, even though i soaked the dried fruits and nuts in flour for about 15-20 mts, they sank to the bottom. Should I wash the fruits/nuts before soaking them with flour?
no, please don't wash them, that will kill the flavour. There are two things we can do to prevent the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
1. Lightly roast the fruits in very little ghee for a few mins, cool, and then proceed
2. Dredge the fruits in some flour so that the fruits are well coated. Then add to the batter
Hi nags,
This being the Xmas season, I wanted to gift my in laws with a rich plum cake. So while googling for a good recipe, I found yours and found it interesting. But I am very disappointed like a couple of your readers. The batter was not very runny, and the most saddest part, while in the oven, the batter kept rising and rising and the whole thing was overflowing. Finally after 50mins when I took the cake out of the oven, it didn't rise at all. After giving it time time to cool when I unmoulded it, the cake was very sticky
Hi… I just tried this cake today and the overall verdict from family and friends was it was awesome! Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi,
I did this cake and it was delicious. I soaked the fruits in red wine and did it and it added extra taste to the recipe above.
Overall i was thoroughly appreciated by everyone for preparing this cake.
Lask week I said I will give my comments after eating. Really came out wonderful. texture.. colour.. softness… all were perfect. Thank you Nag for this.
So glad you enjoyed the Christmas plum cake Joe. Thanks for bothering to come back and leave a note.
tried this recipe…turned out very well..thanks..:)
Frankly speaking, no clue who posted this recipe. Anyway I have just tried my luck with this and as I key in this few words, cake is getting baked and another 20 minutes more to go. Shall give my humble comments soon. Anyway… smells really good.
Frankly speaking, no clue who posted this recipe. Anyway I have just tried my luck with this … first time with plum cake and as I key in this few words, cake is getting baked; another 20 minutes more to go. Shall give my humble comments soon. Anyway… smells really good.
Hi
I tried this cake last week. But it didnt raise well. I used only 2 eggs and lesser quantity of dry fruits(3/4 cup altogether). The cake tasted very good. Though i coated the raisins and with flour,all the raisins were settled at the bottom of the pan. i will make it again next week.
Can't wait to make this….and eat it!!!
Hi,
Thanks for this yummy cake receipe.I made this cake and it came out very well.
This recipe, for a start, makes me want to close my laptop and run to my kitchen. Old school, and hearty, with a little backstory, make it great reading and happy cooking.
tried this recipe. turned out great! but id really love to try that moist sticky one u mentioned. hope u get it before Christmas! would love to try it out!
Thanks Nagalakshmi for sharing this recipe.
Wow for the first time I shall be making a cake at my home.
I really miss this cake… And Mrs. Omana Paul you had mentioned, if she is from Kottayam, then you are talking about my Aunt. Her super speciality is however, moist black forest cake that she makes decorated with sugar beads and works. If you get that perfect recipie from her, THAT would be an all time hit. Thanks for sharing my Aunt's(?) recipe. I will try this soon
yes that is the same omana paul 🙂 i don't think i've tried her black forest cake though. will try to see if i can get the recipe 🙂
I really miss this cake – Mrs. Omana Paul you had mentioned, if she is from Kottayam, then you are talking about my aunt – Her specialty is however Moist Black Forest Cake !! If she ever gives you that perfect recipe, then that'd be an all time hit
Dear Nagalakshmi ji,
Greetings From Eltham !!!
im quite impressed with the recipes you have given here , actually we are a Dehradun based Company making the same product .
we would like to send you a sample of our creation – Eltham – Plum Cake
Kindly send me your address so that i can parcel my cake and will feel obliged if you can provide some feedback for the same.
Thanks
Vivek Aggarwal
Eltham
Dehradun
09897028750
Hi Nags,
I tried adding half cup of fresh cherries along with other fruits….it came out great….everyone in the weekend party enjoyed…..This fruitcake recipe esp with orange peel flavor was real yummy!!
Priya
Nags,
Your baking recipes are easy,quick and works well.
Can i use fresh cherries for this recipe?
Keep up the great work….Appreciate your passion!!
Thanks,
Priya
i don't see any reason why it won't work. try! 🙂
Hi Nags,
Iam planning to bake this cake.I wanted to confirm if you are referring to dry orange peels or the raw ones.
Thanks,
the dried peels work best but if you only have raw peels, leave it out in the sun for a few hours and then use it but use lesser than the quantity mentioned.
I've always wanted to make this moist Kerala style cake and didn't want to use alcohol. Your recipe was a blessing to find. Thank you. But unfortunately my attempt didn't turn out good. It tastes good but the texture is all wrong. When i made the batter itself it was stiff. Now I did substitute butter for oil and used a square pan instead. It wasn't moist at all despite my attempt to soften the batter with a few tsps of milk. and the top and edges are hard and crunchy. What did i do wrong? Any suggestions?
very sorry to hear it didn't turn out well. it's a bit hard to tell exactly why since i don't have enough info to do that. oil could be a factor but can't be the only one. maybe it's the way you measure the flour because sometimes, when you pack it in too tight, there's too much of it which results in a very dry cake. also, since you say the corners turned crunchy, i think the oven temperature was too high. but bottom line, seems like the cake needed more liquid and i am guessing a few tsps of milk didn't cut it.
I've always wanted to make this moist Kerala style cake and finding your recipe was a blessing. I was excited. Did the caramelizing first and I took care not to burn it. It took too long i'm not a fan of this step. I then substituted butter for oil and stuck to the rest of recipe. The batter was stiff. So I tried softening it with a few spoons of milk. Kept my fingers crossed. I really hoped it would turn out the lovely colour like the picture. When it came out of the oven, it was hard and crunchy 🙁 I had it at 350F for 50 mins. It didn't rise much and is not moist at all. and the colour is NOT like the picture. very disappointed. What did i do wrong? Any suggestions?
Hi Lakshmi,
Thanks for posting this recipe online I was tiring to make it and two times i had failed, hope fully this weekend I will get some success. Idea of orange peels is really good.
Hi Nags,
Im a great fan of Plum cakes and tried this a few days back. i did Exactly as said in the recipie but used a glass tray for baking. i could not find baking powder so substituted it with bicarbonate of Soda…After 50 mins of baking the cake first rose then it just went down n finally after some time when i took it out.. it was all cheweeyy n stick..although it tasted good.. but i was very much disappionted..any idea wht could be the problem??
You should try this with baking powder, not soda. That can make a difference. Also, when you use a glass tray, you need to bake for a longer time. Looks like the plum cake was undercooked.
Thanks everyone, for your wishes 🙂
Nags, HAPPY 2012 to u n Bharathy. Loved the USP..no-soak,alcohol-free cake! Will surely try it..all your recipes and directions rock..may 2012 bring out more unique n eased-out recipes frm your bounty! God bless!
Wishing you the very best and a Happy New Year, Nags!
first time in your space…n wow…u have such an amazing space here…the kerala plum cake looks so delicious….my hubbys from kerala….n i'm sure gonna try this cake 🙂 I'm ur new follower now….do visit my space sometime …wishing u n ur family a very happy new year 🙂
What a divine looking fruit cake! It just reminded me that I haven't really had fruit cake yet this Christmas, and I have one sitting in the pantry!
Thanks a lot for the recipe. It was the first time I ever tried baking a cake and I followed the recipe to the hilt. And it came out great, and it's been a big hit…. Thanks a lot! Keep up the good work! 🙂
Thanks a ton for putting this recipe up. The first time I made it the crust was kind on chewey, but I guess I baked it a little too long. The second time I baked it on 325F for 40 mins and it was more than perfect. It just dissapeared. It will be a christmas tradition for us now.
Madhu I saw ur comment just now…i used a 9'' pan….but it was ok…..i too used water in the caramel and for me it took close to 60 minutes for the cake to set….
I tried this cake, and it came out so well, it was a huge success among my friends too!! All wanted the link to the recipe!!! This was the first time I made plum cake and thanks to your recipe…..
Ameetha and Swapna, thank you for letting me know 🙂 Glad it came out well!
Madhu, very sorry to hear the fruit cake didn't turn out well. I haven't personally tried this recipe but my mom has made it multiple times and has always used this method successfully. Using a larger tray for the same amount of batter will make it thinner so there are chances of burning or cooking earlier, but I am not sure why the batter overflowed. It could be your baking powder. Not sure.
Hi Nags,
I was looking for some alcohol free x'mas cakes and was really excited when i saw this recipe here. I wanted to bake it for a friend and surprise them with this,so started the prep with full josh. Got the caramel prep'ed and added it to the cake with a lot of expectations.I used a 9" cake pan as I didnt have a 6", I thought it should be ok but then the excitement didnt last quite long.After a few mins of letting the cake in the oven, my mom called me to check on the cake as she smelled something to be burning. I told no not cant be the cake as that was the last thing i expected today to happen. I turned on the oven lights and found that the cake batter was raising up and was overflowing out of the pan, I was very disappointed but still didnt want to give up. I kept a sheet tray down to catch up the drippings and then let it stay in the oven for 40 more mins, as time went by, I started to see more cake batter coming out of the pan and drip down again :(. At the end of 50 mins, I checked for the consistency and found that the inside of the cake was nowhere near firm, it was just ooey gooey, I kept it for few more mins, still nothing happened. So gave up with a heavy heart and had to trash the cake. I think the main culprit is the caramel in the cake, my mom says one should not add water during the caramel making process but instead just get the sugar browned. I'm not sure about this but did want to let you know so you could tell me what can be done next time to make this better!!! Not trying to be a critic here but just wanted to share my experience!!
Happy holidays!!
-Madhu
Hi Madhu, I tried the cake yesterday n went through exactly what u have mentioned. Got the burning smell early during baking too but I just let it cook another 10 minutes more and then it was perfect. The gooey part in the middle which I had checked earlier too was baked well.
looks great, perfect for christmas 🙂
The cake looks awesome! I will definitely try this today. Ash
This cake is incredible and thanks for sharing! I’ve been inspired to feature this post in today's Friday Food Fetish roundup. If you have any objections, please let me know. Have a wonderful holiday and keep amazing food coming!
Hey Nagalakshmi,
I tried out this cake today and it was fabulous…it came out really well!
You have a wonderful blog here and ur food photography is amazing!
Sri
what if we use brown sugar instead of caramelizing the white sugar and how could we use that here?
White sugar works better for caramelizing in this fruit cake. I have never tried to caramelize brown sugar so can't say how it wil work in this cake recipe. I found this when I searched for it: http://www.ehow.com/how_5136008_caramelize-brown-sugar.html
Oh my, the cake looks so moist and delicious. Kerala is the place to be for Christmas with celebrations almost everywhere. Isn't it Nags. :-). Good that you are home this year. Enjoy with friends & family, Merry Christmas!
Siri
To make this christmas cake fruit recipe eggless, I am thinking flax seed meal would work best. condensed milk may make it more dense than it should be but that's my guess.
I loved the cake idea…..just perfect
mmm… perfectly baked cake. I am amazed that this does not require any alcohol and also no need of pre soaking the fruits.
Delicious!!! I am baking my first round of Christmas cake today with the kids…..another round day after when my niece arrives – plenty of houseguests this year, so need to bake more than usual!
Wow! This is my favorite fruitcake recipe, to date. I am not a fan of raisins too so I can do away with that. I love the no-preparations beforehand. Thanks for such a festive treat!
Such a beautiful fruit cake!
That last picture is so awesome, beautiful color. Ur so lucky to have a friend who makes such treats. Nothing beats our Kerala plum cakes in flavor.
perfect one dear.. any suggestions to make this eggless – will condensed milk work better than flax meal for this ?
Mindblowing cake, looks super fabulous and prefect for xmas..
Ah, That is a great one nags….I have one fruit cake recipe, alcohol free lying in my draft for more than a year now!So lazy to type a long recipe!i love the picture and ur recipe is quite simple!!This will tempt anyone to make as it requires no soaking!
Yum!! I have always loved plum cakes and never tried making it. I guess this recipe will get me started. Thanks for sharing!
You know, I'm not usually a big fan of fruit cakes. But this one looks really yummy! You've inspired me to give it a taste this Christmas.
Ohh wow, I'm so tempted to try this today. See, all this time I was looking for an alcohol-free plum cake recipe. Bookmarked!
Keep up the holiday spirits and rock on, Nags!
This is quite Nags…I was on the lookout for a non alcoholic fruit cake. Thanks for sharing this recipe dear…
I LOVE this Plum Cake!! My small town had a famous bakery which made this cake in a particular style which is the only way I can enjoy plum cake and yours looks SOOOO close to it! DO you think there is any chance of making this eggless? If I succeed I will post it on my blog 🙂
Great recipe ! I have soaked the fruits and nuts a couple of weeks back when you posted the link to Swapna's Kerala plum cake. All set to bake my first Christmas cake with that recipe…I saw your youtube video on google products and am impressed !! Great going girl !!
I just love this cake.Looks amazing! Always been my fav.what are the temp details for baking in microwave oven?
this is really a easy plum cake recipe..Will surely try it…I too made a chocolate fruit cake in my blog, check it too..
great for lazy girls like me!! gonna make this!
That looks scrumptious.. very festive and yumm 🙂
that looks perfect Nags…Loved the idea of adding castor sugar on top 🙂
Thank you Nagalakshmi for posting this! I was looking for alcohol-free and no pre-soaking of the dry fruits Christmas cake recipe. I ve a chinese 5 spice powder. can i use that to replace 1 clove + 1 cardamom pod + small piece of cinnamon + a pinch nutmeg?
Ur snowball cookies r fabulous! tried it 2 weeks ago n again on sunday! thank u!
Looks absolutely tempting…yummy looking plum cake
Thanks Aarthy 🙂 I think Chinese five spice will give a different flavour to the cake but if you want to try, go ahead. Add little though, in case it's overpowering.