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imageimageIn one word, it is the perfect summer cake. It comes together unbelievably quickly. If someone called to say they would be over in a bit for dinner, just as you were coming in from a day out, you could put it together in no time flat, bake it while you get showered and dressed and it can be on the table before the guests arrive.

It will also be gone almost as quickly. Grab your slice quickly or you might not even get a slice. Don’t say I did not warn you! By the way, it would also work with several other kinds of fruit, including apricots, peaches, nectarines or even cherries.

One of my neighbours, Carole, brought me a huge basket filled with miniature plums.image They are a kind of wild plum, about the size of a cherry and vary in colour from red to deep purple. They are sweet yet the skin is a bit tart, my favourite taste combination. What was I going to make with about 5 kg of mini plums? Jam, yes; clafoutis, yes; and maybe a cake. Carole had mentioned a delicious recipe from Alsace with cinnamon where the cake rises up around the fruit leaving it riddled with deep pockets of jammy plum puddles that impart a sweet-sour complexity to an otherwise simple butter cake base. How could I not make this amazing sounding cake? Here is the recipe for you to try and please do try this one. It is so incredibly easy and delicious and even tastes better the next day – should you manage to squirrel away a slice.

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Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

125 g / 1 cup flour
5 g / 1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
200 g / 1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons (for dusting)
115 g / 1/2 cup sweet butter
2 eggs
Plums, about 400 g of mini plums or 12 regular purple plums, halved and pitted
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Lightly grease a 23 cm / 9″ springform cake pan
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside
In another bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy
Add the eggs
Add the dry ingredients, mix well
Spoon batter into the 23 cm / 9″ springform pan and smooth the top
Arrange the plums, skin side up, on the batter, covering it completely
Sprinkle with the lemon juice
Dust the top with the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon
Bake for 45 minutes
Cool on rack then remove the springform pan
Serve with lots of whipped cream
Enjoy!

Will keep 2 days, covered at room temperature