DIMPLY PLUM CAKE
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1 ½ cups plain flour 2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature ¾ cup light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1/3 cup oil such as canola or rice bran Grated zest of 1 orange 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract 8 plums, halved and pitted
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C Butter a 20cm square pan, dust with flour, tap out excess. Sift the flour, baking powder, cardamom or cinnamon if using together. Using a electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it is creamy and soft. Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, and beat well between each egg. Still working on medium speed beat in the oil, zest and vanilla; the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.
Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter– four rows of plum halves each – jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is honey/golden brown in colour and puffed around the plums, and if inserted with a skewer it will come out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes during which time the plum juices will seep back into the cake then run a knife around the sides of the pan, invert and cool right side up.
Once cool, I dusted mine with icing sugar. (It soaks into the plums, but keeps the cake a speckly white.) You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.