Actually, I WAS quite a Kitcheno-Phobic person EARLIER. But now I have started spending time doing some research on kitchenomics. Have tried few recipes, faced countless failures and couple of successes. Let me share few words about my hit recipe. You would have easily figured it out as the blog is entitled in such a manner. Yep, its PLUM CAKE.
Ingredients:
Procedure:
Soak the dry fruits and nuts in Grape juice/ red wine in an air tight container for 2 days time.
Caramelize 1/2 cup of Sugar.
Heat a medium sauce pan with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of water. Stir it continuously. It will turn into a dark colored syrup. Slowly add 1/4 cup of water and stir well and allow it to cool. Be careful while pouring the water as it might splash out of the vessel.
Add baking powder to maida, mix it well and keep it aside.
Add powdered spices to soaked dry fruits, mix it well and keep it aside.
Ingredients:
- Dry fruits like dates, tutty fruity, orange peel, raisins..
- Nuts like cashew, almond, pista, walnut..
- Grape juice or red wine
- Maida flour - 1 cup
- Powdered sugar - 1 1/2 cups
- Eggs - 3
- Butter(Non Salt) - 100 gms
- Baking soda - 1 tsp
- Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
- Powdered spices (Cardamom,Cloves,Cinnamon,Nutmeg,Dry ginger) - 1 or 2 tsp
- salt - 1 pinch (Optional)
- Ramen Girl's Touch (Must)
Procedure:
Soak the dry fruits and nuts in Grape juice/ red wine in an air tight container for 2 days time.
Caramelize 1/2 cup of Sugar.
Heat a medium sauce pan with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of water. Stir it continuously. It will turn into a dark colored syrup. Slowly add 1/4 cup of water and stir well and allow it to cool. Be careful while pouring the water as it might splash out of the vessel.
Add baking powder to maida, mix it well and keep it aside.
Add powdered spices to soaked dry fruits, mix it well and keep it aside.
Dough making
Beat the butter into smooth paste. Added 1 cup of powered sugar to the butter and beat it well until sugar blends well along with butter. Try to beat is an uni-directional manner. Then add beaten eggs into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat for some time. In intervals, add some amount maida and mix it well. See to it that there is no lumps of flour left behind in dough. Now it is time to add the vanilla essence and caramel sauce. Mix it well so that the caramel is evenly distributed thru' out the dough. Finally add the Soaked dry fruit mixture and mix it well. Don't beat for a long time bcoz it might break the fruits.
Baking
Grease the cake baking aluminum tin with ghee or butter. Added a very film/layer of maida flour over the ghee. This is to avoid cake from sticking to the tin while removing cake from the tin. Micro oven settings vary from one microwave oven to another.
Beat the butter into smooth paste. Added 1 cup of powered sugar to the butter and beat it well until sugar blends well along with butter. Try to beat is an uni-directional manner. Then add beaten eggs into the butter and sugar mixture. Beat for some time. In intervals, add some amount maida and mix it well. See to it that there is no lumps of flour left behind in dough. Now it is time to add the vanilla essence and caramel sauce. Mix it well so that the caramel is evenly distributed thru' out the dough. Finally add the Soaked dry fruit mixture and mix it well. Don't beat for a long time bcoz it might break the fruits.
Baking
Grease the cake baking aluminum tin with ghee or butter. Added a very film/layer of maida flour over the ghee. This is to avoid cake from sticking to the tin while removing cake from the tin. Micro oven settings vary from one microwave oven to another.
(In our IFB microwave oven, "Cakes and Deserts" settings was chosen and a baking time of 45-50 mins was set)
Few useful tips:
- Try to use Round shaped Aluminum tin
Scientific reason: in a round shaped vessel heat distribution will be even.
- Use a toothpick to check whether the cake is fully baked. The centre/ bottom part usually takes more time to cook.
- Use a toothpick to check whether the cake is fully baked. The centre/ bottom part usually takes more time to cook.
- When more dry fruits are added it takes more baking time, especially the bottom part of the cake.
Scientific reason: dry fruits settles down @ the bottom due to Newton's law of gravity.
Now, if you ask me "Is it all over? Can I expect a divine taste if all these steps are followed correctly?"
My reply is Flatly "NO".
You have missed one of the key ingredient(no. 12) mentioned in the list.
Ramen Girl's Touch
What is this Ramen Girl's Touch all about?
It is a kinda intangible ingredient. It refers to the mood/state of mind & heart with which you prepare a dish. In simple words, cake's taste is directly proportional to the amount of happiness with which you prepare it.
P.S
Keep in mind, the Ramen Girl formula while cooking:
Taste ∝ Happiness
More about Ramen Girl here.
Anju
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