Plum’s the word

CARAMELISED PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE BY FAIZA HAYANI BELLILI (Serves 8-10)

INGREDIENTS

2tsp sunflower oil, for greasing;

300g sugar; 100g unsalted butter, very soft; ½tsp vanilla extract; ¼tsp salt; 8 plums, halved and stoned; 40g dark brown soft sugar; 2 eggs, beaten; 25g cornflour; 50g ground almonds; 100g plain flour; 1tsp baking powder

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease a 23cm round springform cake tin with sunflower oil and place on a baking sheet.

2. For the caramel, put 225g of granulated sugar into a small, wide, heavy pan on a low heat. Without stirring, let the sugar dissolve. Once liquid, let it gently bubble for 15–20 minutes or until it is a deep golden colour.

3. Add 10g of the butter, half the vanilla extract and the salt, gently swirling the pan to combine the butter as it melts. Once fully incorporated, remove from the heat and pour into the cake tin.

4. Place the plum halves on top, cut side down, nestled tightly together, and set aside.

5. In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining butter together with the remaining granulated and brown sugar until pale and creamy.

6. Add the eggs one at a time. Once the eggs are well combined, add the remaining vanilla extract, cornflour, almonds, flour and baking powder and fold through with a metal spoon until just combined (do not over-mix), then pour over the plums.

7. Smooth over the top, then bake for 40–45 minutes until cooked through: a thin skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

8. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and leave to cool in the tin for five minutes before turning out on to a serving plate. Put the plate on top of the tin and tip over before releasing the sides of the tin and removing the base.

9. Let the cake cool for five minutes before slicing.