My greengage plum tree has had a super crop this year, but it has been a battle harvesting the plums as the blackbirds like them a lot. The trouble is the blackbirds don’t just eat one, they peck a hole and eat a little bit then go onto the next. I’ve picked several pounds of plums and stewed and frozen some, and given loads away.
I decided I’d make something a little different and produced this plum pudding cake. It can be eaten either as a cake or with cream as a dessert.
If you don’t have greengage plums, any plums will be a good substitute.
Ingredients
Approximately 20 greengage plums quartered and stoned
4 oz butter
4 oz soft brown sugar
2 eggs
6 oz self-raising flour
1/2 level teaspoon cinnamon
2 dessertspoons granulated sugar
Method
Switch on oven to 180 C
Grease and line a 7 ½ inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
First quarter the plums. I score round each one with a knife then twist the sections off. Discard the stones.
In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time beating each egg into the mix. Add the flour, stirring well to make a smooth mixture.
Put half the mix into the prepared cake tin, smoothing it level.
Layer half the quartered plums on top of the mix, pushing each quarter down slightly.
Spoon the rest of the mix on top, levelling as before.
Put the rest of the quartered plums on top pressing them into the mix slightly. I start with a circle round the outside, then inner circles from that. The whole surface should be mostly plums.
Sprinkle the cinnamon on top, then scatter the demerara sugar over to give a crunchy top. You can use more sugar if you like a sweeter taste.
Bake in the oven at 180 C (fan), for an hour and a quarter.
Remove the pudding cake from the tin, and if not eating it warm, cool on a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper.
Keep the plum pudding cake in an airtight tin.
The plum pudding cake can be eaten warm or cold either as a cake or a dessert.
My favourite is cold as a dessert served with thick cream, but then a slice with a cup of tea is rather good.
Simnel cake is one of my all-time favourite cakes as it combines a rich fruit cake with almond paste. I make it for Easter but it is good any time of the year. Once cooked and decorated it will keep for several days in an airtight tin – unless it gets eaten straightaway 😉
Ingredients for almond paste
10 oz ground almonds
5 oz icing sugar
5 oz caster sugar
1 egg
Ingredients for cake
6 oz butter
6 oz caster sugar
3 eggs
8 oz plain flour
15 oz mixed dried fruit
4 oz glace cherries, quartered
1/2 level teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 level teaspoon nutmeg
Switch on oven to 150 C
Grease and line a 7 ½ inch cake tin with greaseproof paper.
Make the almond paste.
Put the dry ingredients for the almond paste into a bowl. Mix together, removing any lumps in the sugar. Lightly beat the egg and add to the dry mix.
Knead together to make a solid paste. It may appear dry at first but as you work it, the oil from the almonds will make it pliable. Divide in half. Put one half in foil in the fridge until needed later. With the other half make a disc slightly smaller than the cake tin and put to one side.
Now for the cake. In a bowl put the flour, dried fruit and cherries. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. I use whole nutmegs and have an amazing tiny grater to grate them with. Mix together so that all the dried fruit is separated and covered in flour.
In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add one egg at a time, beating each egg into the mix.
Fold in the dried ingredients combining them until there are no signs of flour on the fruit. If the mixture does not drop easily from the spoon add a small amount of milk.
Put half the mix into the prepared cake tin, smoothing it and bringing it slightly up the edges. Place the rolled out almond paste on top, then spoon the rest of the mix on top. Smooth the top making a dip in the centre.
Bake in a cool oven, 150 C, for two and a half to three hours.
Cool in the tin on a wire rack.
When the cake is completely cool, remove from the tin and take off the paper that lined the tin.
Take the rest of the almond paste and divide into half. Roll one half into a circle slightly smaller than the simnel cake.
Brush the top of the cake with egg white or melted jam, then place the circle of almond paste on top.
With the other half of the almond paste make eleven balls. Using egg white to stick them, place them around the edge of the circle of almond paste. Paint egg white over the tops of the balls and on the almond paste circle.
Place the whole cake under a medium grill until the tops turn golden brown – there will be a wonderful smell of roasting almonds.
The simnel cake is now complete. Keep it in an airtight tin.
I’ve recently been baking these lemon buns which are so tangy and refreshing. My 95 year-old father has been making them as well and the grandchildren have been eating them all!
Ingredients
2 eggs
4 oz butter
4 oz caster sugar
4 oz self-raising flour
Juice and zest of lemon
2 oz caster sugar for topping
Switch on oven to 180 C
You can either use the weights above or weigh two (or three) eggs, in their shells, and use their equivalent weight in butter, sugar and flour.
Put paper bun cases into muffin or cake tins. I prefer muffin tins as this gives a higher bun. The two-egg recipe makes approximately 12 buns.
Weigh the flour and add the zest of the lemon to it. Leave to one side.
Weigh the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and cream them together until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each egg.
Add the flour and lemon zest beating well again. Some recipes say to fold in the flour but I find beating it in produces a finer cake.
Put a large teaspoon of the mix into each bun case. Divide any remaining mix between the buns.
Put the tray of buns into the oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.
While the buns are cooking, weigh out 2 oz caster sugar and add the juice from the lemon to it. Stir well until the mix becomes syrupy.
When the buns are cooked, remove from the oven and place on a rack. Either using a teaspoon or a brush put all the lemon syrup over the tops of the buns while they are still warm. Some of the syrup might run over the edge but don’t worry.
The lemon syrup gives an extra tang to the buns and makes them moist.
Nannie RaRa 