My darling neighbors brought me some beautiful plums. The best I think I have eaten in years and hand picked from a friend’s tree. I couldn’t wait to try this gorgeous Plum Almond Cake I found from “Cream Puffs in Venice” blog, darling food blog who got it from Domenica Marchetti’s , “Rustic Italian” cookbook. This is heavenly.
I couldn’t find the ring for my 9″ springform pan, so I had to use my 10″ and it’s thinner and took about 7 minutes less to bake. Also, I think I would sprinkle the almond topping on mid baking as mine fell in completely! Enjoy with great friends and neighbors. Did I mention it was heavenly? ;-)
Here’s all you do:
Ingredients
PLUM ALMOND CAKE
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) sunflower or vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
- 1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
- 1/2 cup (2 ounces) almond meal or almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) half-and-half or whole milk
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 7 to 9 plums (any variety), halved and pitted but not peeled
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Directions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly oil an 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
- 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, egg, half-and-half, lemon juice and zest, the 1 cup (8 ounces) sugar, and the almond extract. Whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
- 3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum halves, cut side up, on top of the batter. In a bowl, combine the almonds, the 2 tablespoons sugar, and the butter and mix well. Dot the almond topping over the cake.
- 4. Bake the cake until the topping is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. (If using an 8-inch pan, you may need to bake it longer, being careful to cover the outer edges of the cake with a strip of foil if they begin to brown.) Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the ring from the pan and place the cake on a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve warm or, if you can wait, at room temperature.
Bon Appétit.
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