We always end up with an abundance of little plums in the fall, usually around the same time we go apple picking in the valley. The plums we get are often quite sour and resemble damsons more than plums, which make them perfect for this recipe. The plums, which are buried in a rich almond batter, turn soft and jammy.
Yield: 13" Cake
1 cup all purpose flour ½ cup almond flour 1 teaspoon baking powder pinch salt ½ cup granulated sugar plus 2 tablespoons for plums 8 tablespoons or 1 stick of unsalted butter 2 large eggs ½ teaspoon pure almond extract ½ cup milk 6-8 plums, pitted and quartered 1 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon icing sugar
Pre heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 13” springform cake pan.
In a medium bowl combine the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt and mix.
In a separate bowl beat the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and the almond extract and mix to combine.
Add the egg mixture a bit at a time, alternating with the milk, to the flour mixture and mix on a low speed until smooth.
Transfer the batter to the cake pan and smooth the thick batter evenly with a spatula.
Cover the batter with plums, skins side up until almost all of the batter is covered. Sprinkle the plums with sugar.
Bake for 45 minutes until the cake is golden and set in the middle.
Remove the cake from the springform and allow to cool.
To make the vanilla cream, combine the cream vanilla extract and icing sugar and mix until thick.
Serve the cake with a thick dollop of cream.