Simple to make, especially if you poach the plums the night before you want to make the cake. The poached plums can be kept in a covered bowl on the bench overnight. Best eaten on the day it is made.
Poached plums
| ½ cup | Sugar |
| 1 | Vanilla bean, split open |
| 6 | Plums, red, halved and stones removed, I used black doris plums (Main) |
Cake mixture
| 1 | Egg |
| ½ cup | Caster sugar |
| ½ cup | Buttermilk (Main) |
| 1 ½ cups | Flour |
| 2 tsp | Baking powder |
| 2 Tbsp | Cocoa powder (Main) |
| 50 g | Butter, melted |
To finish
| 25 g | Butter, melted |
| 2 Tbsp | Caster sugar |
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Directions
- Place sugar, vanilla bean and 200ml water in a wide saucepan and place on a low heat. Allow the sugar to dissolve then bring up to the boil. Lower heat, add the plums and poach until tender, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Heat the oven to 170C. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
- Drain plums from their liquid (reserve liquid for another use), and lay out on to kitchen paper while you make the cake.
- Place the egg and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Pour in the melted butter and whisk until just smooth. Spoon mixture into the prepared tin and cover with the plums, gently pressing them down as you go.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. Brush top of cake with melted butter and sprinkle with caster sugar. Cut into slices to have with your coffee.
Buttermilk
You can make your own buttermilk by adding 2 Tbsp lemon juice to ½ cup milk.
