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

I had most of a pot of sour cream left over, so I had to make something with it, right? Luckily, I still have a little left over, so I can sense some fajitas in the not-so-distant future.

I wanted a really cinnamon flavoured cake, but I didn’t want to put any nuts in it, so this was the answer. Moist, tender crumbed, cinnamon-y enough to satisfy – more than a nice way to use up sour cream.

Preheat oven to GM4-5/350-375F/180-190C (I know that’s annoying, but GM4 was a little too low and I think GM5 would scorch the top)
Grease and line a 9″ round tin.

The usual prep:

Sift 1 cup plain flour, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda into a medium bowl.
Mix 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Set both bowls aside.

In a large bowl, put 2oz unsalted butter and 2/3 cup caster sugar. Cream until fluffy (high five!)
Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and beat that in.

Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beat them in thoroughly.
Add 1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream and beat that in well.

Add the flour mix next and either combine it with a hand whisk or a large spatula.

Spoon half the batter into the tin and smooth it out

Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mix evenly over that

Then spoon the remaining batter over the top and smooth that out too.

Bake for 30-40 mins.

Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. See how the cinnamon has migrated around? Kind of cool.

Once completely cool, make up the icing.
In a bowl, put 1 cup icing sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. (I had only added about 1/2 tsp in this pic and ended up adding more)

Add 1 tbsp milk and combine with a hand whisk. If it’s too stiff, add more milk. Check it’s got enough of a cinnamon taste.

Using a teaspoon, drizzle the glace icing over the top.

Allow the icing to set, then serve. Oh, it is so tender… never mind left over sour cream, it’s worth buying a tub for!

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Cinnamon Sour Cream Cake

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1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
2oz unsalted butter
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup (125ml) sour cream
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to GM4-5/350-375F/180-190C (I know that’s annoying, but GM4 was a little too low and I think GM5 would scorch the top)
Grease and line a 9″ round tin

Sift together the flour, baking powder and bicarb in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the dark brown sugar and cinnamon. Set both bowls aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla extract, then the eggs.
Add the sour cream and beat well to combine.

Gently, either by whisking or with a spatula, add the flour and combine.

Spoon half the batter into the tin and smooth it.
Scatter the cinnamon-sugar mix evenly over the batter.
Spoon the remaining batter on top and smooth.

Bake for 30-40 mins or until a toothpick comes out cleanly.
Cool in the tin for 5 mins, then remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Once cool, make the glace icing.
Put the icing sugar and cinnamon into a medium bowl and combine with a hand whisk.
Add 1 tbsp milk, whisk and add more if necessary.
Using a teaspoon, drizzle the icing over the cake.

Allow the icing to set, then serve.

Espresso cake. It can be a dilemma for me; choosing between chocolate and coffee, but there are times when only coffee cake will do. As a point of interest, (well, for me anyway) a search on the internet highlighted a common theme for us Brits in that coffee cake in the US is a type of cake – being one that is eaten with coffee as opposed to being coffee flavoured. I was briefly confused as to why these recipes had no coffee in them – then the penny dropped.

I have a recipe for a sour cream golden cake that with some amendments to the quantity of flour, was delicious. It had scope for further adaptation and I have found that the average coffee flavoured sponge cake can err on the side of dryness. I didn’t want to rely on making a soak for the cut sections of cake, so this already moist cake fitted the bill.

Some espresso strength coffee in the icings kept the whole cake pleasingly and instantly identifiable as coffee. More cappuccino than espresso in colour, but there is nothing wishy-washy about the flavour.

Preheat oven to GM4/350F/180C
Grease and line with baking parchment an 8″ square tin (or a 9″ round tin).

Sift 1 ½ cups plain flour, 1 tbsp cornflour, ½ tbsp baking powder,a  mean ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

Dissolve 2 tsp of espresso powder in 1 tbsp of hot water and let it cool.

Put 4oz unsalted butter and 1 cup caster sugar into a large bowl and cream until fluffy (high five!).  Scrape down the bowl after each step.

Add 2 eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.

Beat in the espresso.

Add half the flour mix, beating on low speed until just incorporated.
Add 1 cup of sour cream, mixing until just combined.

Add the remaining flour, mix and finish off by hand with a large spatula making sure the batter is smooth. Put the batter into the lined tin, smooth the top.

Bake until a tester comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it – about 40 mins. I checked mine at 30 mins, but it was still liquid. As a result of opening the door too soon, my cake sported a crack. Darn it. Hooray for icing.
Cool in tin for 10 mins, then remove from tin and cool completely on the wire rack.

Whilst it’s cooling, make the icings.

Dissolve 2 tsp espresso powder 2-3 tbsp hot water and allow to cool.

Beat 5oz unsalted, softened butter until creamy.
Gradually add 1 ½ cups sifted icing sugar until fluffy.

Add the coffee

and beat well to combine and get it to the consistency you like.

Make the glace icing.

Sift 1 cup icing sugar into a bowl.
Add 3-4 tsp espresso dissolved in water (use what’s left from the buttercream, or make up more as required) and stir with a small whisk to combine.

Taste to check the strength of coffee flavour.

Split the cooled cake in half horizontally

Spread with half the buttercream

Replace the top layer. Pipe rosettes of buttercream around the edge of the top of the cake and flood the top middle with the glace icing.

Sprinkle a little cocoa over the top to pretty it and enjoy!

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Espresso sour cream cake

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1 ½ cups plain flour
1 tbsp cornflour
½ tbsp baking powder
mean ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
4oz unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp espresso powder dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water, cooled
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to GM4/350F
Grease and line with baking parchment an 8″ square tin (or a 9″ round tin).

Sift the flour, cornflour, baking powder and bicarb into a medium bowl and set aside.

Put the butter and sugar into large bowl and cream until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl after each step.
Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the cooled espresso.
Add half the flour mix, beat on low speed until just incorporated.
Add the sour cream, mixing until just combined.
Add the remaining flour, mix and finish off by hand with a large spatula making sure the batter is smooth.

Put batter into the lined tin, smooth the top.
Bake until a tester comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it – about 30-40 mins.
Cool in tin for 10 mins, then remove from tin and cool completely on the wire rack.

Espresso Buttercream

5oz unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp espresso powder dissolved in 2-3 tbsp hot water, cooled

Beat the butter until creamy.
Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.
Add the espresso – 2 tsps at first, then taste and increase to suit you.

Continue to beat until light and creamy.

Espresso glace icing

1 cup icing sugar
3-4 tsp espresso (use what’s left from the buttercream, or make up more as required)

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.
Add the espresso and stir with a small whisk to combine.
Taste to check the strength of coffee flavour.

Assemble the cake

Split cake horizontally. Spread the bottom layer with half the espresso buttercream. Place the other half of the cake on top.
Put the other half of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
On top of the cake, pipe rosettes of buttercream around the edge and make a ‘pond’ of espresso glace icing in the middle.