I'm Back with Plum, Vanilla and Almond Cake

Well I'm back from my enforced break.  The back is settling nicely and it's time to start cooking.  It's summer fruit season once again which means lots of berries or stone fruits for dessert with cream or icecream.  Sometimes you want to make a sharing dessert instead and this luscious teatime treat ticks all the boxes.  It's a very simple sponge with ground almonds and lots of aromatic vanilla extract topped with sweet juicy plums.  The plums sink to the bottom of the sponge and become very sticky (which is why you need to line the cake tin base with baking paper).

Plum, Vanilla and Almond Cake

Plum, Vanilla and Almond Cake

150g Butter, very soft
150g Caster Sugar
3 Eggs
75g Plain Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
100g Ground Almonds
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
6 Plums, quartered and stoned

Preheat your oven to 180c/Gas Mark 4.  Lightly grease the base and sides of an 9-inch loose bottomed tin with butter or cooking spray and line the base with a circle of baking paper.

Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each.  Add the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and vanilla extract.  Fold in gently, making sure all the mixture is well combined.

Pour into your prepared cake tin, top with the quartered plums and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

This tastes wonderful either warm or cold with custard, ice cream, double cream, creme fraiche, creme anglaise or whatever makes you happy.  Actually, tell me what you would accompany this cake with - I'm very curious...