Poached plum and ginger sour cream cake

ingredients

• Poached plums

  • 1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 2 cup (500ml) dry red wine
  • 2 cup (500ml) water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 3 red-fleshed plums (450g), halved, seeds removed

• Ginger sour cream cake

  • 125 gram butter, softened
  • 1 cup (220g) firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup (80g) sour cream
  • 1 cup (150g) plain (all-purpose) flour
  • 1/4 cup (35g) self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 tablespoon demerara sugar

method

• Poached plum and ginger sour cream cake

  • 1

    Make poached plums. Stir sugar, wine, the water, cinnamon and star anise in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves; bring to the boil.

  • 2

    Add plums, reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until plums are just tender. Remove plums from syrup; cool. Reserve syrup in pan.

  • 3

    Preheat oven to 170°C/340°F. Grease deep 20cm (8-inch) ring pan.

  • 4

    Beat butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until combined.

  • 5

    Stir in sour cream and sifted flours and spices. Spread mixture into pan. Bake 15 minutes.

  • 6

    Remove pan from oven; and quickly arrange plums on top of cake, cut-side up. Sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake about a further 50 minutes. Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

  • 7

    Meanwhile, bring reserved syrup to the boil. Boil, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until syrup is reduced by half and has thickened slightly; remove cinnamon stick and star anise.

  • 8

    To serve, drizzle warm cake with warm syrup.