Sifting the flour is very important for a lighter texture.
You can use the spice mix powder of your choice. I used equal amounts of cloves + cardamom + nutmeg + cinnamon.
For Traditional cake with alcohol - Soak plums + raisins + cashews + black currants in rum or brandy. Drain it, roughly chop and fold it in the cake in the end. (Use any dry fruits of your choice)
Coat the dry fruits with 1 tablespoon of flour and shake of the excess flour before folding in the cake. This ensures that the nuts does not sink to the bottom of the pan.
For really light texture, Separate the egg yolks and whites: Beat the egg whites with 1 tablespoon of sugar until stiff peaks form, keep aside. Add only egg yolks to the batter instead of the whole egg. Follow the instructions. After adding the flour, fold in the egg whites gently until there is no visible white streaks. Now fold in the nuts.
During the last 10 minutes if the cake tends to darken, loosely cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil.
Storage: This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 10 days and in the refrigerator for about a month. Covered tightly with a plastic wrap, this freezes well too.