“The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.”
Recipe and styling by Nomvuselelo Mncube
Photograph by Carolina Bedoya
Upside-down plum cake with crème fraiche
Ingredients
- 50g butter, melted
- 50g sugar
- 5 medium plums, pitted and sliced into half-moon shapes
SPONGE
- 500g cake flour
- 10ml (2 tsp) baking powder
- pinch salt
- 10ml (2 tsp) cinnamon
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground cardamom
- 260g butter
- 200g sugar
- 6 large eggs
- zest of 1 lime
VANILLA MAPLE SYRUP
- seeds of 1 vanilla pod
- 125ml (½ cup) maple syrup
- crème fraîche, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven 180°C. Grease and line the base and sides of ten 10cmround tins with baking paper.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the 50g butter and 50g sugar. Add the sliced plums and stir until combined. Arrange the plums in a ‘windmill’ formation in the prepared tins.
For the sponge, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a bowl and set aside until needed.
Using electric beaters, whisk together the 260g butter and 200g sugar until light and pale, 10 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Mix in the lime zest and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour the sponge over the plum slices and bake in the oven until golden brown, 30 minutes.
For the syrup, mix together the vanilla seeds and maple syrup.
Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool, 5 minutes. Invert onto plates and drizzle with the vanilla maple syrup. Serve with dollops of crème fraîche.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
