Winter plum cake

I’ve never really “got” Nigella Lawson – all that hair flicking and coy pouting at the camera clearly isn’t targeted at me, but I suspect the woman knows her stuff where cake is concerned – and respect to her for that! Having just got round to buying her “How to be a domestic goddess” book (about 8 years behind everyone else – hey, what can I say? I’m tough to win over!) this recipe leapt out at me as I adore anything with plums and almonds.

Here it is fresh from the oven:


The cake has a very pleasing rustic/farmhouse sort of look to it:


The cake can be served two ways: firstly, the way I have served it here, as a warm dessert with custard, or secondly, cold with icing. If there is a more delicious sight than gorgeous sponge smothered in vanilla custard then I’m yet to see it!


This is the first plum cake I have made where the plums are chopped and mixed through the cake – normally they are halved and laid on top. I rather liked this twist as it made the cake juicy and every bite guaranteed some plum! I always think that plums are the greatest success of the tinned fruit world and chopped up they look almost jewell-like:


The cake is exceptionally moist and light. I made it the day before I wanted it, and then reheated it in the oven; even after being heated twice it was so light it tasted more like a steamed sponge. For a cake that is almost embarrassingly easy to make it certainly got a warm reception – everyone came back for seconds and we demolished the whole thing between us: a sure-fire sign of success! (and, perhaps, gluttony)

Just look at these pictures as proof of the beautiful texture:


Come to mama!


Ingredients:
For the cake:
567g tin of red plums
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
125g light brown sugar
2 eggs
125g self raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
75g ground almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract

For the icing (if serving cold):
160g golden icing sugar (use ordinary if you cannot find)
1-2 tablespoons hot water

If serving as a warm dessert: custard

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan oven 150°C/325°F/Gas mark 3.
- Grease and line a 20cm round springform cake tin.
- Drain the plums, then chop and leave in a sieve to drain further.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Weigh out the flour.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of the flour each time.
- Beat in the almond extract.
- Fold in the rest of the flour along with the almonds and baking powder.
- Fold in the plums.
- Spoon into the cake tin and bake for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out cleanly. Check it after an hour. Mine took exactly one hour.
- If you are serving warm as a dessert you can either serve straightaway or let cool and then gently warm when required (as long as you store the cold cake in an airtight tin you should be ok for at least a couple of days).
- If you are making the icing simply mix the icing sugar and water until you have a thick, smooth, glossy icing. Then spoon over the top of the cool cake.
- Bask in glory at the wonderful thing you have made.
- Eat.