Plums

I picked up too many plums at the Capo market on Friday... and too many beans and berries, too much garlic, mint and basil, certainly too much for one person. If I had shopped at the grocery store, I wouldn't have gotten so carried away. So I made a cake... an Italian plum cake to share. The recipe is inspired from A Platter of Figs by David Tanis. 

 

Ingredients

1 cup unblanched, whole almonds

¾ cup sugar, divided

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ginger

pinch of nutmeg

½ cup whole milk

2 large eggs

¼ teaspoon almond extract

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly

12-14 Italian plums, pitted and sliced in half

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.

2. Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade along with ½ cup of the sugar. Process until almonds are finely ground. Add flour, salt and spices and pulse a few more times to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl.

3. In a measuring cup, combine milk with eggs, almond extract and melted butter, whisk to combine. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir together until just combined.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place plum halves over the top in roughly concentric circles so they are just about touching. You may have one or two halves left over. Sprinkle top with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until top is golden and fruit is soft. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then use a paring knife alongside the edges of pan to loosen. Remove sides and cool completely on a rack. This cake is best eaten the day it is made. If you have some left over, it will keep at room temperature, covered, for up to 2 days.