This recipe is from ‘Delicious’ magazine’s Dec 2009 edition. It is very delicious. Very delicious indeed. Mum made it last week; it took just one bite for me to shove the magazine in my handbag and scurry home to make one for us as well.

Moist, moist, moist, plummy, fudgey with marzipan and some chopped nuts for an additional texture.
Not just that, this genuinely works as a cake. It isn’t a ‘best served warm’ cake, it is a proper cake. Likewise, if you serve it warm, it is a real pudding.
A really clever recipe that comes together without a lot of fuss. In addition to all this, it can be frozen. That is pretty marvellous at this time of year – you never know when you’re going to need a cake or pudding on standby.

Preheat oven to GM4/180C/350F
Line a 9″ cake tin with a depth of around 2-3″

Before you start, dry fry 50g nuts; I used almonds – the original calls for hazelnuts. Once they’ve coloured in the frying pan, let them cool on a plate and chop them up.
Take 400g ripe plums, remove the stones and cut each one into 4 or 6 slices.

Cream 200g softened butter and 200g caster sugar until fluffy and pale.

Beat 4 eggs and add them slowly, beating well after each addition. If it looks like it’s going to curdle, add a tbsp of the measured flour.

Fold in 130g ground almonds, then fold in 100g plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder.
Finally, fold in the 50g chopped, roasted nuts and 120g chopped marzipan.

Spoon the mix into the tin and scatter the plum slices over the top – press them down into the mixture just a little. The mixture will rise and engulf them, sending them and the marzipan to the bottom, so don’t be too worried about it all.

Bake for 50-60 mins until a tester poked into the middle comes out clean.

Doesn’t look terribly exciting does it? Note. You can wrap it well and freeze it at this point – a handy cake/pudding for the festive period.

Choice time.

To make this into a cake:
Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make some glace icing by whisking 3-4 tsps water or lemon juice into 100g icing sugar, then drizzle it over the top.

To make this into a pudding:
Serve warm from the oven with ice cream or cream.
Or, make in advance, then wrap in foil and re-heat for around 10 mins on GM6/200C/400F

Anyway. This not so exciting cake?

Have a look inside…. NOW it looks exciting!

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Plum, Marzipan and Almond Cake or Pudding

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From ‘Delicious’ magazine.

200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
4 large eggs
100g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
130g ground almonds
50g nuts, chopped (I used almonds that I had dry-fried before chopping; the original called for roasted hazelnuts)
120g marzipan, chopped
400g ripe plums, stones removed and each cut into 4 or 6 slices

100g icing sugar
3-4 tsp water or lemon juice

Preheat oven to GM4/180C/350F
Line a 9″ cake tin with a depth of around 2-3″

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale.
Slowly add the eggs, beating well after each addition. If it looks like it’s going to curdle, add a tbsp of the measured flour.

Fold in the ground almonds, then fold in the flour and baking powder.
Finally, fold in the chopped nuts and marzipan.

Spoon the mix into the tin and scatter the plum slices over the top – press them down into the mixture just a little.
Bake for 50-60 mins until a tester poked into the middle comes out clean.

To make this into a cake:
Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (You can wrap and freeze the cake at this point)
Put the icing sugar into a bowl and whisk in the water or lemon juice. Drizzle over the cake.

To make this into a pudding:
Serve warm from the oven with ice cream or cream.
Or, make in advance, then wrap in foil and re-heat for around 10 mins on GM6/200C/400F