We wait all year for our home-grown fruit to ripen and when it does you have to act fast! Jane has some plum trees so we have been making sorbets, tarts, cakes, plum butter and roasted-plum crumble. Here cardamom complements the sweetness of the plums. This cake is perfect with a cup of fresh coffee or serve warm with fresh cream or custard for a dessert.
200g butter, at room temperature
200g vanilla sugar or 200g castor sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
200g self-raising flour
750g fresh ripe plums, stoned and quartered
seeds from 8-10 cardamoms, ground
1 tbsp golden castor sugar
Line a 22x24cm baking tray and pre-heat oven to 180°C /160°fan/gas mark 4
Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Fold the egg and flour into the mixture a little at a time. Stir in half the plums and the ground cardamom and spoon into the baking tray. Top the mixture evenly with the remaining plums and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until firm to touch and golden.
This cake will only keep for a couple of days because of the high water content of plums.