Moist Plum Traybake

This moist plum traybake comes together with a simple sponge batter in a good hour: 20 minutes of prep, then a good 40 minutes in the oven. The plums go on tightly packed, sink in slightly as they bake, and let their juice soak straight into the sponge.

Home-grown plums start appearing from mid-August and stick around into September. It's worth seeking out the oval, firmer baking plums rather than the round, juicier dessert kind: their flesh holds together, they come away cleanly from the stone, and they won't collapse in the oven – which is exactly what makes them the better choice for this cake.

Ingredients

Serves 4:

• 750g plums
• 150g soft butter
• 120g sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 eggs
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g ground almonds
• 1 unwaxed lemon (zest only)
• 1/4 nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (conventional) and line a small baking tray, about 20 x 30cm, with baking parchment.
2. Wash the plums, halve them, remove the stones and score each one twice, lightly, along the rounded side. That way they fan out a little as they bake and sit flatter in the batter.
3. Peel the lemon thinly with the peeler and finely chop the peel. The peeler lifts off just the yellow, flavourful layer, leaving the bitter white pith on the fruit.
4. Beat the butter, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Mix the flour, baking powder and almonds together and fold in, then add the lemon zest and grate over the nutmeg fresh from the nutmeg grinder.
5. Spread the batter evenly over the tray and arrange the plums on top, packed tightly like roof tiles, cut side up.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Do the skewer test at the edge of the cake, not through a piece of fruit, or you'll always get a damp-looking crumb.
7. Mix the cinnamon and sugar and scatter over the still-warm cake, then leave it to cool on the tray.

kjøk tip

Freshly grated nutmeg is what separates a nice plum cake from a really good one – ready-ground nutmeg loses its aromatic edge within weeks, while a whole nutmeg in the grinder keeps for months. Use just a quarter of the nutmeg; it's there to support the fruit, not cover it up. Hold the peeler flat and with light pressure when you're peeling the lemon, and the white pith stays behind on the fruit. You'll find more traybake ideas under Baking, and the right mills under Mills & Grinders. As for care: wash the peeler and knife by hand after contact with fruit acid and dry them straightaway, never in the dishwasher, and sharpen the blades regularly. Store your mills somewhere dry; if yours has an olive wood body, wash it by hand only and rub it now and then with a little food-safe oil, so the wood doesn't crack.

FAQs

What's the difference between plums and 'baking plums'?

The plums used here are the oval, slightly pointed kind, sometimes labelled 'baking plums' or 'Italian plums' at the greengrocer's – their flesh is firmer and comes away cleanly from the stone. Round dessert plums are juicier but softer. Go for the oval, firmer kind for this cake, since they hold their shape in the oven instead of collapsing.

Why does my plum cake turn soggy?

Usually because too much juice runs into the batter. Arrange the halves cut side up, and if your fruit is very juicy, scatter a spoonful of ground almonds or breadcrumbs over the batter before you add the fruit.

Can I freeze the cake?

Yes, ideally in individual pieces and without the cinnamon sugar. Frozen, it keeps for three months. To defrost, just leave it at room temperature and add the cinnamon sugar afterwards.