Rustic plum cake
In general, I'm not a big fan of summer. I don't like high temperatures or humid days, and I usually just wish we could hurry along to fall. But I love stone fruit. Peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, you name it. I love to bake with them, make them into jams, can them, and just eat them. This cake, with slices of ripe plum sauteed and then arranged over a dense, rich batter made with ground almonds, is one of my favorite summer fruit desserts.
I found the recipe in an old issue of Cook's Illustrated--July & August 2007, to be exact. I don't know why I didn't try it at the time, but now that I have tried it, I'll definitely be making it again!
1 pound plums, pitted and halved (if quite small), quartered (if larger), or cut in eighths (if very large!)
2 tbs red currant or seedless raspberry jam
3 tbs brandy or water
1/3 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbs unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 large egg plus one yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract (optional, but I recommend it!)
Heat oven to 350.
Cook jam and brandy/water in a skillet until reduced to a thick syrup (only takes a minute or two). Place plums cut-side down in syrup and cook over medium heat until plums release their juices and a thick syrup is formed again. Let cool.
Process sugar and almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract; process until smooth. Don't be afraid if the batter seems really thick and heavy--it's supposed to be like that.
Spread batter in a greased and floured springform pan. It may be difficult to spread, but that's okay. Stir plums to get them all coated with syrup, then arrange them over the top of the batter. (If you can fit all the plums on your cake, or if you have extra syrup left over at the end, I can attest that the plums and/or the syrup will be very good on vanilla ice cream.)
Bake at 350 until gold brown, approximately 50 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve!