WHAT IS A PLUM CAKE?
In India, specifically Kerala, Plum Cake refers to a type of cake made with either dried fruit (such as raisins, cranberries, figs, prunes etc.)with a hint of rum or brandy. In India, the plum cake has is served during the Christmas season, and those who are vegetarians, skip out the eggs, and those who don’t want alcohol in their cakes, generally use orange juice instead. This recipe came to India from England, but it is quite a popular cake around the world. Every family usually has their own family recipe for a fruit cake.
How to make my Plum Cake alcohol-free?
Traditionally, for this cake, the dried fruit is soaked in rum or brandy for months or even years and then using them for an extensive Christmas bake. Honestly, nowadays, not everybody remembers to do this! For this eggless and vegan plum cake, I use half rum and half orange juice. But if you want to skip out on the rum, then just replace it with more orange juice! Also, try my quick, cheat code to soak the dried fruit in a matter of 10 minutes! I do this by cooking the dried fruit in rum and orange juice until the fruit soaks it all up! It helps make the dried fruit super flavorful for the cake. I used raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots, dried figs, and prunes for this vegan plum cake. But you can use any dried fruits you have at your disposal!
How to bake this cake without an oven?
Just turn on the convection mode in your microwave! Then, pre-heat to 160 degrees celsius and place the cake pan on the microwave tray, and allow it to bake for 30-40 minutes. Definitely keep an eye on the cake so that it doesn’t burn. As soon as it gets a golden brown edge, stop! This vegan plum cake can also be made in a pressure cooker or the Indian wok: kadhai! Feel free to try out the option that best works for you! Make other festive bakes from the blog:
Vegan Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies Tahini chocolate chip cookies
