Honeyspicedplumcake

Serve this easy-tomake cake warm as dessert, or cold with tea or coffee. I have made it parev but you can substitute milk and butter if preferred. Apples or pears work as an alternative to plums. It also freezes well, so it’s worth making a couple to keep one for another time. Serves: 8 Preparation: 25 minutes Cooking: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

250g plain flour 1½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 2 eggs 240ml almond milk/soya milk 180ml golden syrup 30g clear honey 125g margarine 100g muscovado sugar 400g plums, stoned and sliced 5 tbsp plum/apricot jam

METHOD

Line and grease a 23cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C) fan.

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and milk together.

Warm the golden syrup, honey and margarine in a saucepan over a low heat.

Stir in the sugar and keep on a low heat until the margarine and sugar have melted together.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little before pouring the warm syrup mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture and stirring well. Add the whisked egg mixture and mix again until just combined.

Transfer to the prepared cake tin and arrange the sliced plums evenly over the surface.

Bake for about an hour, checking after 40 minutes. Cover with foil if the cake starts to burn.

Gently melt the jam either in the microwave or in a saucepan set over a medium heat and brush the cake liberally with it.