Shortcrust plum cake with meringue

A classic autumn bake – shortcrust pastry with juicy plums and a layer of light, fluffy meringue, all topped with a crisp shortcrust crumble. The pastry is made with egg yolks, which makes it wonderfully tender. I always pre-bake the bottom layer for this type of cake, to make sure both layers of pastry stay crisp and don’t become soggy from the fruit. Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea on an autumn day.

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:

• 2½ cups plain flour
• 200 g cold butter
• 50 g cold lard
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• 5 egg yolks

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and lard and quickly cut them into the flour with a knife until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and sugar and quickly knead to form a dough (you can also use a food processor). If the dough is too crumbly, add 1–2 tablespoons of cold water. Divide the dough into two portions, approximately 60% and 40%. Wrap each portion in cling film and freeze (this can be done a day in advance).

Line a 34 x 23 cm baking tin with baking paper. Coarsely grate the larger portion of frozen dough (60%) directly into the tin. Gently press it down with your hand and level the surface.  Pre-bake at 180°C for about 10–15 minutes, until lightly golden.

Ingredients for the plum filling:

• 700 g plums, stones removed
• 1 tablespoon potato starch

Halve the plums, cutting larger ones into quarters. Place them in a bowl, add the potato starch and mix together.

Ingredients for the meringue:

• 5 egg whites
• a pinch of salt
• 250 g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon potato starch

All the ingredients for the meringue should be at room temperature.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin whisking. Once they become lightly foamy, add the salt and continue whisking. When the whites are stiff, start adding the sugar gradually, one tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. The meringue should be thick, glossy and smooth. Sift in the potato starch and gently fold it in with a spatula.

Place the plum filling over the pre-baked pastry base (it can still be warm). Spread the meringue evenly over the plums. Coarsely grate the remaining frozen pastry (40%) over the top.

Bake at 180°C for about 40–45 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool completely and dust with icing sugar.

The shortcrust plum cake with meringue can be stored at room temperature.

Enjoy!