Vegan Plum Cake – Christmas Cake

Vegan Christmas cake recipe | Vegan Christmas fruit cake | Kerala plum cake Make this popular and flavourful fruit cake, commonly called plum cake made with a load of soaked dried fruits. You can skip out the rum and soak the fruit in orange juice. This is an vegan version, of the popular rum fruit cake or brandy Christmas cake served for Christmas.

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

Vegan Plum Cake – Vegan Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients1x2x3x

For the cake batter:

• 1 ½ cup All purpose flour 180 grams
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup yogurt 245 grams
• ½ cup neutral vegetable oil sub with vegan butter, 109 grams
• ¾ cup brown sugar 165 grams
• For soaking the dried fruit:
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• ⅓ cup rum sub with orange juice
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup dried apricots chopped roughly
• ⅛ cup dried cranberries
• ⅛ cup figs chopped roughly
• ⅛ cup prunes chopped roughly

Nuts (about 110 grams):

• ¼ cup almonds
• ¼ cup pecans
• ¼ cup cashews

Instructions

• In a saucepan, take rum and orange juice, and turn on the heat.
• Add the dried fruits to the rum and juice mix and cook untill the mixture thickens and the dried fruit absorbs all the juices. Set aside and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (320 degrees F) and line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground spices, and orange zest and set aside.
• Whisk together brown sugar, vanilla extract, yoghurt and oil in a separate bowl until well combined.
• Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a silicone spatula, then the soaked dried fruit, and nuts and mix until everything is well combined with no large flour pockets. Do not over-mix the batter!
• Bake at 160C for 50-55 minutes or only until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.
• Top the cake with the extra soaked fruits and enjoy!

This is the most exciting vegan cardamom chocolate chip cookies recipe ever! Easy to make in one bowl, no chilling necessary (although it is recommended) and they come out perfect each and every time.

Make them crunchy or soft and chewy according to your preference and spice it with a hint of cardamom to make it exciting!

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS FOR THESE VEGAN CARDAMOM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

• Flour – I used regular all-purpose flour but you can also substitute with a gluten-free flour mix made for baking.
• Cardamom – You can use cardamom seeds from the pods but you can also use a tsp os pre-ground cardamom.
• Sugar – These vegan cardamom chocolate chip cookies are made with white and brown sugar. You can use any sugar you have, but make sure to look for the vegan mark on white sugars. You can also replace a portion or all of the sugar with zero-calorie sugar to make it “macro-friendly”.
• Butter – I use vegan butter but you can substitute it with coconut oil. Make sure to use the deodorized version.
• Chocolate chips – I used vegan dark chocolate chips. You can choose to use vegan white chocolate chips, vegan milk chocolate chips etc or choose to skip it if you don’t like chocolate!
• Flax meal – I used flax meal (ground flax seeds), mixed it with water to create a “vegan egg”. Substitute with 1 tbsp of cornstarch and 4 tbsp of water if you don’t have flax seed available.
• Espresso powder – Espresso powder or any instant coffee powder added to the dough mix, helps bring out the chocolatiness of the sweet chocolate chips.

Do try this Vegan Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe and let me know if you like it. Enjoy these cookies with coffee or chai !!

MORE COOKIES FROM THE BLOG:

• Cardamom Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Tahini chocolate chip cookies

Vegan Cardamom Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp flax meal
• 4 tbsp warm water
• ½ cup white sugar 100g
• ½ cup brown sugar packed 110g
• ½ cup vegan butter room temp., 112g
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee powder
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 270g
• 4-5 cardamom pods shelled and crushed, or 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
• Flaky salt for garnishing

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine the flax meal and water, mix well and set aside to gel up for about 5-10 minutes.
• Add the brown and white sugar and vegan butter to a larger bowl and whisk until creamed with a hand mixer or stand-mix.
• Mix in the flax “egg”, espresso powder, and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.
• Sift in the flour, ground cardamom, baking powder, and salt.
• Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon mix the ingredients together.
• Then, fold in the chocolate chips. Be careful not to overwork it. At this point the dough will be dry, so you may want to use your hands to work the dough, and it will likely not hold together.
• Then, place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for 30-60 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 170°C or 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
• Scoop batter with an ice cream scoop and place them on the baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie so they can spread.
• Bake 6 cookies on a tray at a time, making sure to keep 2 inches around the cookie for them to spread.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the softness of the cookies you prefer.
• Remove from the oven, and let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before eating.
• Then, serve with some coffee or chai!

I can eat potatoes in any form, shape and cuisine. So, for all you fellow couch potatoes, I have a delicious, crispy smashed potato Papdi chaat recipe. Traditional Papdi chaat recipe calls for crispy fried flour crackers made with either whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour as the base. Instead of flour-based crackers, I am replacing them with smashed crispy baby potatoes. Soft and fluffy on the inside, and ultra crispy on the outside, this potato Papdi chaat has a garnish of mint-coriander chutney , tamarind chutney , onions, red chilli powder and finely chopped coriander. This is a pretty simple recipe to follow and shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes to put together. Let’s dive in.

Smashed Potato Papdi

1. Start by boiling baby potatoes in a large pot with a pinch of salt. Boil the potatoes until they are semi-soft.
2. Load the semi-boiled potatoes on a baking tray and smash each one using the bottom of a glass.

Note: Make sure to press them halfway and not completely. This might lead to the potatoes getting flatter than we desire them to be.

3. Drizzle some oil onto the potatoes and sprinkle with salt and Ajwain (carom) seeds.

4. Bake them in the oven or air fryer for 30-35 minutes at 200° Celsius, turning once or twice until crisp, crunchy and golden.

Papdi Chaat Garnish

1. Place the smashed crispy potatoes on a serving plate. Top them with mint coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, a sprinkle of red chilli powder, finely chopped onions and chopped coriander.

2. Enjoy while the potatoes are crispy and warm.

That’s it. This simple and crispy smashed potato Papdi chaat is sure to steal your heart away. As the year ends and steps into 2023, I want to take this moment to thank each one of you for being such a big support in my journey as @beextravegant. Your love and kind words mean the world to me.

Here’s to more amazing recipes coming from yours truly. Wishing each one of you a crazy New Year’s Eve and a Happy New Year.

Check out my other Snacks and Chaats recipes here:

1. Vegan Dahi Vada
2. Crispy Plaintain Chips
3. Baked Aloo TIkki

Papdi Chaat with a Smashed Potato Twist

Ingredients1x2x3x

• 700 g Small potatoes or large potatoes quartered
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp ajwain
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Tamarind Chutney
• 1 tbsp Mint Coriander Chutney
• 1 small onion – finely chopped
• Corriander – chopped to garnish
• 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to the boil, add 1 tbsp salt.
• Cook potatoes until soft – small ones should take around 20 to 25 minutes, medium ones might take 30 minutes. It’s ok if the skin splits.
• Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F
• Drain the potatoes and let them dry in the colander for 5 minutes or so.
• Place on the tray then use a flat glass, large fork or potato masher to squish them, keeping them in one piece.
• Sprinkle with olive oil, salt flakes and ajwain/carom seeds.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes (small potatoes) or until deep golden and crispy.a
• Serve hot, sprinkled with mint coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, chopped onions, red chilli powder and chopped coriander. You can also top it with some sev and pomegranate seeds!

Nutrition

Vegan Plum Cake - Vegan Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients1x2x3x

For the cake batter:

• 1 ½ cup All purpose flour 180 grams
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp ground ginger
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup yogurt 245 grams
• ½ cup neutral vegetable oil sub with vegan butter, 109 grams
• ¾ cup brown sugar 165 grams
• For soaking the dried fruit:
• ⅓ cup orange juice
• ⅓ cup rum sub with orange juice
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup dried apricots chopped roughly
• ⅛ cup dried cranberries
• ⅛ cup figs chopped roughly
• ⅛ cup prunes chopped roughly

Nuts (about 110 grams):

• ¼ cup almonds
• ¼ cup pecans
• ¼ cup cashews

Instructions

• In a saucepan, take rum and orange juice, and turn on the heat.
• Add the dried fruits to the rum and juice mix and cook untill the mixture thickens and the dried fruit absorbs all the juices. Set aside and let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (320 degrees F) and line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
• In a bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground spices, and orange zest and set aside.
• Whisk together brown sugar, vanilla extract, yoghurt and oil in a separate bowl until well combined.
• Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a silicone spatula, then the soaked dried fruit, and nuts and mix until everything is well combined with no large flour pockets. Do not over-mix the batter!
• Bake at 160C for 50-55 minutes or only until a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.
• Top the cake with the extra soaked fruits and enjoy!