PLUM AND ALMOND TRAY BAKE

Serve at room temperature with a cup of tea, or warm with clotted cream for pudding.

Makes: 15 squares

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus cooling

Cooking time: about 50 minutes

350g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease

325g light brown soft sugar 2tbsp apricot jam

9 plums

4 large eggs, beaten

1tsp almond extract

275g self-raising flour

2tsp baking powder

75g ground almonds

Icing sugar, to dust

1 Preheat oven to 180°C

(160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line the base and sides of a 20.5 x 30.5cm roasting tin

(or one with similar dimensions) with baking parchment. In a pan, gently melt 100g butter with 100g brown sugar. Once the butter has melted, stir in the jam and simmer for 3min, until a caramel forms.

Pour into the cake tin and leave to cool for 10min.

2 Halve and de-stone the plums. Arrange cut-side down in the caramel. Set aside.

3 In a large bowl, beat the remaining

butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Beat in almond extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and ground almonds. Fold into the egg mixture. Spoon on to the plums and spread to level. Bake for about 45min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4 Remove from the oven; cool in the tin on a wire rack for 15min. Invert on to a board; remove the tin and baking parchment. Serve warm, or leave to cool completely, dusted with icing sugar.