Fresh Plum and Almond Crumble Cake

. April, 2016
Photography by Claire Aldous.
Fresh Plum and Almond Crumble Cake

This tender cake has a layer of juicy plums and a lovely nutty crumble topping – perfect for an autumn afternoon tea or serve warm as dessert with ice cream or vanilla custard. 

Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS

10 medium plums, quartered
juice 1 orange (first zest the orange for the cake)
⅓ cup brown sugar
Cake
115 grams butter, at room temperature
¾ cup caster sugar
finely grated zest 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs, size 7
1½ cups plain flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ginger
pinch salt
⅓ cup plain yoghurt
Crumble
¼ cup plain flour
¼ cup ground almonds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons melted butter
⅓ cup sliced almonds
To serve
softly whipped cream or mascarpone
icing sugar, for dusting 

METHOD

Grease a 22cm square baking tin and line fully with baking paper. 

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.

Plums: Place the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Crumble: Put all the ingredients, except the sliced almonds, in a bowl and mix together with your fingertips to form coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Cake: Beat the butter, sugar, zest and vanilla in a stand mixer until light and pale. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well combined.

Combine the flour, baking powder, spices and the salt and add to the bowl along with the yoghurt. With the mixer on low, gently stir together.

Tip the mixture into the tin and smooth the top. Strain the plums, reserving the juice, and arrange in rows. Scatter the crumble over the top, then the almonds. 

Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool completely in the tin. Put the reserved plum juices in a small saucepan and boil for about 3 minutes until reduced to a syrup. When cool, fold through the cream to serve. 

To serve: Lift out of the tin and remove the paper. Place on a serving plate and cut into 12 pieces then dust with icing sugar. Serves 12