Here is the REAL reason why you must start making Plum Cake in advance

It’s the last month of the year 2021 and the countdown to a New Year has already begun. With that, it's time to begin the preparation of traditional Plum Cake as well, which everyone loves to have on Christmas eve. Typically, the preparation for Plum Cake starts 2-3 months prior to Christmas, i.e. ideally it should begin by September/October. But have you ever wondered, why this tradition is followed so? (Images: istock)

It’s the question many wonder about and is on everyone’s mind- be it a baker or homemaker. Before baking Plum Cake, most of the fruits and nuts are soaked 2-3 months in advance in alcohol. The soaking period is the most crucial period, as that determines the flavour of your cake. The more time you will provide to the soaking period, the more firm cake you will have with a better texture. It is also said that the more time you take in baking Plum Cake, it brings out the best flavours. The whole period of 2-3 months is worth waiting when you finally cut the cake slices on Christmas.

To make a rich, flavourful Plum Cake, take about 500 gms of dry fruits and soak them in rum/brandy or even whisky with a little cardamom. Make sure you take a mix of dates, sultanas, almonds, walnuts, figs, prunes, cherries, cranberries, and raisins. Chop all the dry fruits and mix them all in a glass jar. Add your favourite alcohol in it along with orange peels and mix well. Close the jar with its lid and keep it aside at room temperature. Make sure that you gave a swirl every 3-4 days. Just keep this thing in mind that all the ingredients are mixed once in a while before the baking period. You will notice by the end of the first week, how the dry fruits are soaking alcohol added in it. When you see alcohol disappearing, add a little more to it. Ideally, the feeding period is of 2 weeks, which means that you must add more alcohol to the soaked dry fruits every 2 weeks. (Tip: You can also mix rum and brandy both in the jar.)

For the non-alcoholic version of this Plum Cake, you can soak all the dry fruits in orange or grape juice to get that authentic flavour.

Once the feeding process is done, you can bake the Plum Cake 1 month in advance. The reason for the same is, it enriches the taste of the cake.