Almond shortcrust cake with plums and meringue
This lovely autumn cake combines a buttery almond shortcrust base with juicy plums and a crisp, fluffy meringue topping. It’s a twist on my classic redcurrant cake with meringue, with plums in place of the redcurrants and ground almonds added to the pastry for extra flavour. A simple, old-fashioned bake that’s absolutely delicious and perfect for autumn!
Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:
- 270 g plain flour
- 100 g ground almonds
- 150 g cold butter, diced
- 80 g icing sugar
- ½ sachet vanillin sugar (8 g)
- a few drops of almond extract
- ½ tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 4 egg yolks, from large eggs
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the ground almonds and butter, then quickly chop everything together with a knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, icing sugar, vanilla sugar, salt and almond extract, then quickly bring the dough together (you can also use a food processor). Shape the dough into a ball. It will be sticky, so dust it lightly with flour if needed. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Grease a 34 x 23 cm baking tin with butter and line it with baking paper. Transfer the chilled dough to the tin and press it evenly over the base, dusting your hands with flour from time to time to prevent sticking. Level the surface and prick it lightly with a fork. Chill in the fridge for another 30 minutes.
Bake in a fan oven preheated to 180°C for approximately 18-20 minutes, until golden.
Ingredients for the plum filling:
- 700 g plums, stones removed
- 1 tbsp potato starch
Halve the plums, cutting larger ones into quarters. Place in a bowl, add the potato starch and mix gently.
Ingredients for the meringue:
- 4 egg whites, from large eggs
- a pinch of salt
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp potato starch
- ½ cup flaked almonds, for sprinkling
All the meringue ingredients should be at room temperature.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin whisking. Once they start to foam, add the salt and continue whisking. When the whites form stiff peaks, gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking thoroughly after each addition until the meringue is thick and glossy. Add the sifted potato starch and gently fold it in with a spatula.
Spread the plum filling over the pre-baked pastry base, which can still be hot, arranging the plums with their cut sides facing upwards where possible. Spread the meringue over the top and sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Place the cake in an oven preheated to 180°C, then immediately reduce the temperature to 140°C. Bake for approximately 1 hour, until the meringue is crisp on the outside. Leave to cool in the cooling oven.
Enjoy!
