Plum cake

ingredients

• Plum filling

  • 1.5 kilogram red-fleshed plums
  • 1/2 cup (110g) firmly packed light brown sugar

• Plum cake

  • 120 gram unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup (330g) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 cup (375g) self-raising flour
  • 1/2 cup (75g) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1/4 cup (20g) flaked almonds

method

• Plum cake

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 200°C.

  • 2

    To make plum filling, halve plums; discard seeds. Place plums, cut-side up, in a single layer, in a large roasting dish; sprinkle with sugar. Roast about 25 minutes or until plums are tender. Remove plums with a slotted spoon; place on a large plate. Pour pan juices into a small bowl.

  • 3

    Meanwhile, beat butter and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; add sifted flours, stir until dough comes together.

  • 4

    Grease a closed 25cm (10-inch) round springform pan; line base with baking paper. Press two-thirds of the dough over the base and two-thirds of the way up the side of the pan; fill with plums. Roll out remaining one-third of the dough; place over plums, turning excess dough back to sit over top of cake. Sprinkle over nuts.

  • 5

    Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Cover cake with foil; bake a further 40 minutes or until cake is golden and a skewer inserted along the sides of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

  • 6

    Serve dusted with sifted icing sugar, if you like, and accompany with pan juices.

notes

Try this cake with other fillings such as apple or pear. The cake is best made on the day of serving.