DAMSON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH CIDER CUSTARD

There’s a saying that you ‘plant a plum for your son but plant a damson for your grandson’. That’s how long these trees take to bear fruit. I should know, I’m still waiting for a crop from my trees. If you’re lucky enough to have damsons, this is the perfect cake to make but you can use plums instead.

I’ve also used Kentish cider after my visit to a fruit farm there. Serves 8

200g (7oz) butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

200g (7oz) caster sugar

4 eggs

200g (7oz) self-raising flour 1 apple, cored and sliced

200g (7oz) damsons, halved and stoned (or use plums)

For the custard

8 egg yolks

75g (2¾oz) caster sugar

100ml (3½fl oz) cider

300ml (10fl oz) double cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease a 23cm round cake tin and line with baking parchment. Beat the butter and sugar until pale. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour if the mixture looks as though it might curdle. Use a metal spoon to fold in the flour and half of the apple.

Arrange the remaining apple in the bottom of the tin, spaced apart, then scatter the damsons over. Spoon the cake batter on top, spreading it out so it covers the fruit and is even. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until just combined. Pour the cider and cream into a pan and heat gently until warm, then pour over the yolks and sugar and whisk together. Pour the custard back into the pan and heat gently, continuing to whisk until it starts to thicken – it’s ready when it coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, then pour into a jug. Upturn the cake onto a plate and peel off the baking paper. Slice and serve with the custard poured over the top.

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