Italian almond plum cake
Continuing with the almond and plum theme, here is a wonderfully rustic Italian almond plum cake. It comes together quickly and requires no mixer — simply combine the ingredients with a whisk. Thanks to the generous amount of ground almonds, the cake stays moist and fresh for several days. The combination of sweet almond sponge, tart plums and a crunchy almond topping is simply irresistible. Definitely one to save to your favourites ;).
Ingredients for the Italian almond plum cake:
- 1 cup plain flour, plus 1–2 tbsp extra if needed
- ½ cup ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup rapeseed or sunflower oil
- ½ cup milk
- finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- ⅔ cup caster sugar
- ¼ tsp almond extract (or half that amount of almond flavouring)
- about 10 plums, halved and stoned
All ingredients should be at room temperature. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and almond extract until just combined. Add the ground almonds and the sifted dry ingredients. Mix gently with a whisk until everything is incorporated. Do not overmix. If the batter appears too thin, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of additional sifted flour.
Line a 23 cm round cake tin with baking parchment and pour in the batter. Arrange the plum halves on top, cut-side up, placing them close together. Scatter the almond topping evenly over the surface.
Bake at 175°C for approximately 50–60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Ingredients for almond topping:
- ⅓ cup flaked almonds
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 30 g butter, softened
Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. The topping will be sticky, so distribute it over the cake in small pieces rather than trying to sprinkle it evenly.
Enjoy!
Recipe source: Rustic Italian (Williams-Sonoma): Simple, Authentic Recipes for Everyday Cooking by Domenica Marchetti.