Fresh Plum and Pine Nut Streusel Cake

This moist, fruity cake is topped with a pine nut crumb and is beautiful served warm from the oven. Any kind of plum can be used if Black Doris aren’t available.

Streusel

¼ cup plain flour

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

60 grams butter, chopped

Cake

8 medium firm but ripe plums (I used Black Doris)

1¾ cups plain flour

pinch salt

1 cup caster sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sour cream

finely grated zest 1 lemon and 1 orange

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

24cm springform cake tin greased and lined fully with baking paper

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Streusel: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips to make damp, coarse crumbs. Chill until ready to use.

Cake: Halve and stone the plums then chop roughly. Set aside.

Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and soda in a large bowl.

Whisk the sour cream until smooth then whisk in the zests and juice, eggs and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients along with half of the plums and combine gently but thoroughly. The batter will be thick.

Tip into the tin and smooth the top. Scatter over half of the remaining plums then all of the streusel then the remaining plums.

Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cover the top loosely with foil if browning too much before the cake is fully cooked.

Leave for 10 minutes then remove from the tin. Dust with icing sugar and serve with softly whipped cream. Serves 8

Cook's Tip: To make a lovely accompaniment to the cake, halve and stone 500 grams plums and chop roughly. Melt ¼ cup dark fruit jam (I used blackcurrant) in a saucepan then add the plums. Simmer for about 8 minutes until tender but not falling apart. Cool before serving.