- 1
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
To bake well and achieve the right texture, the oven should be preheated to the correct temperature.
- 3
Take a cake tin and prepare it for baking. Grease the tin with a large amount of butter, smearing the grease on the sides and the bottom. This is to ensure that the cake doesn't stick to the tin.
- 4
Then, sprinkle a little flour inside the greased tin, tapping out the excess. In that way, the cake will easily come out after baking.
- 5
Mix 200 gms of all-purpose flour, that is maida in Hindi, with 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl.
- 6
Whisk this into action to ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed. This mixture is going to give the necessary structure and leavening to result in a light and fluffy cake.
- 7
Add 100 gms of softened butter and 150 gms of powdered sugar to the large separate bowl. Using an electric mixer or whisk, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light, fluffy, and pale. This helps to incorporate air into the mixture, and this is where the cake rises, and tenderness within its crumb originates.
- 8
Two eggs are added to the creaming mixture, one after the other. Ensure that after each addition, it is well beaten and that each egg has been incorporated well before adding the next. This will help in emulsifying the ingredients to a smooth, homogeneous batter.
- 9
Add 1 tsp of vanilla essence to the egg-butter mixture. Mix it well to spread the flavour of vanilla throughout the batter. The vanilla essence mainly plays a role in the overall flavour of the cake, where sweet and spicy flavours meet.
- 10
Add the prepared flour mixture to the wet ingredients in steps, beginning with a bit of flour at a time.
- 11
Take the mixture lightly, blend swiftly, and then fold the mix using a spatula or a wooden spoon. Overmixing should be avoided as it makes the gluten in the flour fully develop, making the cake tough.
- 12
Mix 1 tsp each of dalchini or ground cinnamon, laung or ground cloves, and elaichi or ground cardamom in the batter. These spices give a hot, aromatic flavour to the cake, which would come out well with fruit.
- 13
Mix the spices in the batter until they are evenly distributed.
- 14
Finally, add 200 gms of chopped and pitted plums to the batter and fold them in. The plum batter is not over-mix by the batters; they are distributed appropriately among the batters, and each slice get a great share of fruits and sweetness.
- 15
Grease and flour a cake tin. In the greased and floured cake tin, put the prepared mixture. Using a spatula, smoothen the mixture at the top. Put the cake in the preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes until it is cooked, which means a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few bits of crumb.