plum cake

Ingredients:-

12 plums (halved and stoned)
3 eggs
320g sugar
200g crème fraiche

1 tea spoon vanilla essence
230g butter (room temperature)
340g self-raising flour

1 orange (juiced & zest)

1 lemon (juiced)

icing sugar for decoration

method:-

Add the sugar into the mixer bowl, followed by the 3 eggs and the vanilla essence. Lower the whisk attachment, switch on the mixer to a medium-high speed and whisk for roughly 2 minutes. When it is nicely pale and fluffy, carefully start to add the butter, little by little. Spoon in the first batch while the mixer is still whisking, allow to mix in, then add the second spoonful. Continue adding the butter one spoon at a time until it is all mixed in. Whilst still whisking add the crème fraiche, briefly let it mix in, then turn off the mixer.

Now add the flour, orange juice, lemon juice and orange zest. Switch on the mixer to a slow whisk and blend for roughly one minute to combine everything, then switch off. Shake the mixture off the whisk attachment and remove the bowl. Using your spatula, give it a quick mix by hand to make sure that everything is completely mixed.

Using your spatula pour the batter into the spring form tin and spread it into the edges and the mould of the tin, finally smoothing over the top. Individually place the plums at an angle around the edges of the tin, using gentle pressure to push them slightly into the batter. Leave about 1 cm between each plum. Then make a second, inner ring until all the plums are used. Your cake is now ready to bake. Place the tin into the centre of the preheated oven (180 degree celcius) and bake for roughly 60 minutes. Once baked remove from the oven and allow to cool down before serving. Decorate the cake with a little icing sugar, then cut into slices and ready to serve.