Spiced plum cake

SERVES 12 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

2 cups (300g) plain flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder ¼ teaspoon salt 180g butter, softened 1 cup (220g) firmly packed brown sugar 3 eggs ¾ cup (180ml) buttermilk 8 blood plums, quartered or 16 small plums, halved 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ cup (55g) coconut sugar icing sugar and double cream, to serve

1 Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 24cm springform cake pan; line base and side with baking paper. 2 Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, cocoa and salt into a large bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in sifted dry ingredients and buttermilk in two batches. 3 Pour the batter into prepared pan. Arrange the plum pieces on top, cut-side up. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and coconut sugar. 4 Bake cake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre (but not through a piece of fruit) comes out clean. Cool cake in pan. 5 Dust with sifted icing sugar and serve with thick or whipped cream, if desired.

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.