Indian Plum Cake

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This cake is my take on a fruit cake or as many of you call it plum cake. This is flavoured with saffron, cardamom and other spices and some lovely dried fruits and nuts. Absolute must try for this festive season!

Ingredients
100g apricots, roughly chopped
200g cranberries
200g sultanas
200g glace cherries, chopped
3 tbsp runny honey
200ml fresh orange juice (or brandy for a boozy version!)
300g softened, unsalted butter
150g golden caster sugar
150g light muscovado sugar
6 eggs
70ml warm, whole milk
2 pinches saffron
300g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds
2 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp ground cardamom
150g hazelnuts
100g pistachios

Method
– Preheat oven to 150°C / 130°C with a fan.

– Add the apricots, cranberries, sultanas, cherries, honey and orange juice.

– Cook on a medium heat until it starts to bubble.

– Press the fruit down into the orange juice to ensure it is all covered.

– Cover and leave for at least half an hour to rehydrate.

– Wrap a 10” round, springform cake tin with folded baking paper tied with string.

– Grease and line the bottom of the cake tin.

– Beat the butter to loosen up.

– Add the sugars and beat for a couple of minutes until creamy.

– Scrape down the sides and add the eggs and beat until well-combined.

– Add the saffron to the milk and stir. Leave to sit to infuse the flavours.

– Stir the spices and almonds into the flour and add to the egg mixture.

– Add the saffron milk and beat for a few minutes until it is creamy and lighter in colour.

– Add the fruit and nuts and stir through the batter until well-combined.

– Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth before baking.

– Bake for 2 hours 40 minutes.

– Check a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean to ensure it is baked before removing.

Leave to cool completely and serve, or decorate with frangipane and/or fondant if preferred.