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The last two months I have not been very prompt in posting on " This book Makes Me Cook", but I have always been thinking of pos...

A Tea Party, Plum Cake And Books That Made Me Cook

The last two months I have not been very prompt in posting on " This book Makes Me Cook", but I have always been thinking of posting about it. In Oct I wanted to post on "Naughtiest Girl In School" and wanted to bake a cake as that was what really tempted me when I read the book. In November we needed to post on " Alice In Wonderland" and I got around to baking the cake. I thought it would be appropriate to blog on both the books in one post and make up for the belated posting. On top of it all I wanted to also send this into Aparna's My Diverse Kitchen's birthday celebration.

Elizabeth a fascinating little girl is the main character in Enid Blyton's Naughtiest Girl In School. Her strong will and compassion to help others turns her into a very loveable girl. In Chapter 1 and 3 there is a mention of a current cake. In India during Christmas time at most bakeries they sell plum cake. Its a cake that is made of currants, raisins, dry fruits and fruit mix. While I was reading the book the mention of currants cake made me want to bake a plum cake. This is a recipe that I have been perfecting to taste like the ones that you find in India and I think at last I come close to it. Below is a clipping from the book.

Lines From Chapter 1


Elizabeth's things were packed and ready. She had a neat brown trunk, with "E. Allen" painted on it in black. She had a tuck-box too, with a big currant cake inside, a box of chocolate, a tin of toffee, a jam sandwich, and a tin of shortbread.
"You will have to share these things with the others," said Miss Scott, as she packed the things neatly inside.
Lines From Chapter 3

A bell rang loudly, and the girls looked cheerful, "Good! Tea!" said Ruth. "Come on. Wash first, all of you, and do your hairs. Yours looks awful, Elizabeth." Elizabeth did not like her dark curls being called "awful." She went up to her bedroom and did her hair neatly, and washed her hands. She was very hungry, and thought with pleasure of her currant cake and jam sandwich.
Elizabeth put out her sandwich and her currant cake and took her place too. Grace was said and then the boys and girls began to chatter quietly.Suddenly Nora banged on the table. She was at the head of it. Everyone at her table stopped speaking."I nearly forgot to say something," said Nora.
"Elizabeth Allen does not wish to share her things with anyone, so don't ask her for a piece of her cake, will you? She wants it all herself." "All right!" said the other children, and they stared at Elizabeth in surprise. Elizabeth went on eating her bread and butter. Next to her was Ruth, opening a large pot of shrimp-paste that smelt simply delicious. She passed it round the table-but did not offer Elizabeth any.
She cut her currant cake. It looked quite nice. She suddenly felt that she really couldn't eat it all by her self, she must offer it to the others too. She didn't mind being thought naughty, but being thought mean was different.
Alice In Wonderland by Charles Lutwidge is about a girl who falls into the a rabbit hole and then it is a real adventure. In that story Alice attends a tea party. My original idea was to have a tea party with tea pots, mini cakes and sandwiches with signs that said "Eat Me" and "Drink Me" instead I had a hot cup of tea with a slice of plum cake. Though I am posting it way past the posting date I wanted to still share this recipe.


Gadgets:
Baking pan -9 inches
Mixing Bowl
Spatula
Hand held Mixer
Measuring cups, spoons and scale
Saucepan
Sieve

Ingredients:
All Purpose Four - 250 gms
Sugar for Cake - 250 gms
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla Essence- 1 tsp
Fruit Cake Mix - 1/4 cup
Raisins and currants - 1/3 cup
Butter - 250 gms
Eggs - 1 whole at room temp and liquid egg white for 3 eggs
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 ts
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp
Clove Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cashew Nuts pieces - 1/4 cup
Caramel Sauce - use 80% of the liquid
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tsp


Preparation:
1. Heat the sauce pan and add the sugar. Add some water and allow the sugar to melt and change into a dark amber color and thickens.
2. Remove the saucepan from the stove and very carefully add 1 cup of water(watch out there will be a lot of smoke and splattering of caramel) and put it back on the stove to melt again.
3. When the liquid is completely melted the liquid starts to boil remove from flame and allow this liquid to cool.
4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and start to make the cake after the caramel has cooled.
5. Add sugar and butter and blend well using a hand mixer. Add eggs, vanilla and mix well. Add the caramel sauce and mix well.
6. Using a sieve mix the baking powder and APF. Take a 1/4 cup of this mix and coat the dry fruits, fruit mix and nuts so that they get distributed evenly and not settle to the bottom of the cake.
7. Add the flour and the flour coated fruit mix a little at a time and mix with the liquid mix.
8.Transfer to a baking pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until it passes the tooth pick test.
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The other "This Book Makes Me Cook" blogger's:
Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen - Orange Marmalade Cake
Harini of Tongue Ticklers - Vegan Cheesecake Brownies
Sweatha of Experiments, Emotions, Experiences with Food - Chocolate Pudding Cake
Siri of Siri's Corner - Veggie Finger Sanwiches
Rachel of Tangerine's Kitchen - Sandwiches For My Mad Tea Party


8 comments:

  1. The slice of plum cake looks very moist and perfect. Happy you managed to get close to the desired taste.

    Both in Cochin and here, Christmas is indeed the time for the famous plum cake.
    I just don't seem to develop a taste for it because I don't like the taste and smell of the rum in which the dry fruit is soaked. :(

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  2. Love your plum cake - so good I wish I could tuck in now:)

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  3. Thank you for the comments.Aparna, no rum in mine so it will not smell. Sunshine mom I think this was one good cake I baked that I felt proud of.

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  4. I love the plum cake too. Yours' looks really delicious. I am glad you were able to post, even if it was a bit delayed

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  5. Love the cake.Sorry I could not send you the link earlier.I see you have already added .Thanks for that and also Thanks for the comment on my cake.
    I agree with Aparna,Kochi and Goa are famous for Plum cake esp during Christmas.Tastewise also I agree with her.
    Thanks and thanks.See you with Anne as well

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  6. Me again,I read the other comments as well. Thank God,there is no Rum smell and you should indeed be proud of-the cake is perfect

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  7. Hi

    I tagged you for Breadline Africa

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  8. Hi Srimathi...first time here...love the plum cake..it looks moist and perfect :)

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