A gloriously moist cake, it can be drizzled with icing for a teatime treat, or served warm with cream as an indulgent pud. Can be frozen.
Ingredients
- 200g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 200g golden caster sugar
- 4 large free-range eggs
- 100g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 130g ground almonds
- 50g roasted hazelnuts, chopped
- 120g golden marzipan, chopped
- 500g (about 12) ripe plums, stoned and cut into quarters
- 20g flaked almonds, toasted
- 60g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Lightly grease a 23cm square tin that’s 5cm deep and line the base with baking paper.
- 2. In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand-held electric whisk until pale, light and fluffy, then gradually add the eggs, whisking between each addition (add a little flour if the mix starts to curdle). Sift over the flour and baking powder, add the ground almonds and fold in gently with a big spoon. Fold in the hazelnuts and marzipan.
- 3. Pour the mix into the tin and scatter the plum quarters over, pushing them down a little into the mixture. Bake for 50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Scatter with the flaked almonds.
- 4. Cool a little in the tin and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap well in baking paper and cling film before freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly.
- 5. For the lemon icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the lemon juice and stir to a single-cream consistency. Use a teaspoon or piping bag to drizzle the icing over the cake, then cut into squares and serve as a teatime treat. Alternatively, omit the icing, wrap in foil and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes at 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Serve warm as a pudding, with cream.
Nutritional info
Per serving (based on 10): 472kcals, 31.6g fat (12.4g saturated), 8.7g protein, 41g carbs, 32.8g sugar, 0.4g salt
Wine Recommendation
A cup of Earl Grey beckons. For dessert, make it a cool, sweet, golden pudding wine like France’s Monbazillac.