September 26, 2013

Honey and cinnamon plum cake for turning two!

My little blog turned two, last week!  And, you know, this journey would hardly be so much fun without all of you, dear readers!  And for that, I want to give you all a very big THANK YOU!!!  Thank you for reading my stories, trying my recipes, sending lovely and super sweet words of encouragement, and simply being out there and enjoying my blog!  You can’t imagine how much this all means to me!




Strangely, it seems that every year on this big, celebratory occasion I’m being followed around by the same type of plums – the cloudy purple Italian prune plums that I so long for all summer until they finally make it to the markets and into my kitchen and into sinful desserts.  Last year, I stuffed them into perfectly soft dumplings; this year, I dropped them into a deep, dark, nicely sweet and moist Pudding Cake of Honey, Cinnamon and Plums that was nothing short of legendary!





This year, my parents also enjoyed a glorious plum harvest.  The plum tree in my grandparents’ garden resembled a willow tree and almost gave in to the heavy weight of its overloaded crown of ripe plums.  Most of them found their way into simmering jams, pickled compotes, beloved cakes, and some were left for eating raw.  But while my parents, conveniently, went plum picking in the backyard, I went to the market where, luck struck, and a very generous lady put an overflowing box of swiftly ripening prune plums in my lap for virtually nothing. 





So, what do you do when fortune strikes?  You say ‘thank you very, very much’, run home and stash your freezer with multiple bags of plums to make deliciously oozing potato plum dumplings until most likely next year; and with the several remaining pounds of plums you make pan after pan of Nigel Slater’s spectacular plum cake: a pan for a second birthday, one for a Sunday brunch with friends, one for a casual wedding anniversary celebration, another one for a midweek-night sweet treat, and one more because you still have a glut of plums leftover and you like this cake way more than you care to admit!  





To be quite honest, I first made this cake about a year ago with the last fresh prune plums I had languishing around and ripening too fast for me to keep up.  But I haven’t gotten the chance to tell you about it until now.  Obviously, it’s not your posh and fancy birthday cake; it’s a charming-little-every-day-kind of cake.  It’s a sweetly mix of gingerbread and moist spice cake; spongy and sticky, deeply dark in color, loaded with warm cinnamon and tart, juicy plums that turn a vivid reddish color and slowly descend and soften into the soggy batter as the cake rises and bakes into perfection and intense flavor.  It’s a no muss, no fuss yet perfect cake for a second birthday!  





Pudding Cake of Honey, Cinnamon, and Plums
Adapted from Ripe by Nigel Slater

Makes: 16 squares

Ingredients: 

·         2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
·         1 slightly heaping teaspoon baking powder
·         1 teaspoon baking soda
·         1 slightly heaping teaspoon cinnamon
·         2/3 cup (200 g) agave nectar
·         2 heaping Tablespoons honey
·         ½ cup (125 g) butter
·         ½ cup packed (125 g) light brown sugar
·         12 ounces (350 g) plums, pitted and halved (or quartered if they are very large)
·         2 large eggs
·         1 cup milk (240 ml)





Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line an 8- or 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, and whisk well to combine. 




In a saucepan, warm the agave nectar, honey and butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the butter melts.  Once the butter has melted, stir in the light brown sugar and whisk well.  Remove the pan from the heat, and allow the mixture to cool slightly for a couple of minutes.

Break the eggs into a medium bowl, add the milk, and whisk to mix.





Pour the agave nectar mixture into the flour mixture and stir with a large, sturdy spoon until combined, and the batter is thick.  Pour in the eggs and milk mixture and continue to stir until the eggs and milk mixture is fully incorporated, and you have a loose batter without any traces of flour.





Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the plums on top.  The plums will drop as the cake bakes.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the cake and leave to cook for 15 minutes longer.  Switch off the oven, but leave the cake in the oven for 15 more minutes.  Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool completely before slicing.           




Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)

34 comments:

  1. As the lucky friend who got to sample this treat, I have to say that it was scrumptious. The plums are the star without being too overpowering or sweet. It's the perfect early fall dessert. Congrats on two years, Dana!

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    1. Thank you so much, Cara! I'm so happy that you loved the cake and I totally agree that it’s the perfect early fall dessert :)

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  2. Hi Dana! Happy 2nd year Blog Anniversary! My family loves everything about your blog. Your recipes are full of flavor, the pictures are gorgeous, and your stories are so inspiring! Laura

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    1. You're so sweet, Laura! Thank you so much and I want you to know that I’m so honored and appreciative for your readership, for trying my recipes, and always leaving such kind words and comments! Again: thank you :)

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  3. Happy birthday, blog. Congratulations, Dana!!! Delicious cake.

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    1. Thank you so much! I truly appreciate it! :)

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  4. Congratulations on your second birthday! We used to have plum trees in our backyard when I was growing up. It was lovely to climb the trees and sit on a branch eating as many as possible. However many were left, my mother used to bake with them and stew them for breakfast. This is a lovely looking cake that looks incredibly moist xx

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    1. Ohhh… that's so sweet :) Thank you so much for sharing your story, Charlie! I love to eat fresh plums, too, but they are delicious in sweet treats as well! :)

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  5. Happy Blogiversary what a wonderful anniversary celebration :D
    Plum cake looks wonderful and must taste awesome!

    Cheers
    CCU

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    1. Thank you so much, my dear friend! The plum cake does taste awesome and it was the perfect cake for the occasion :)

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  6. That cake looks wonderful! Happy 2 years to your blog! I love honey and agave in baked goods because they create such a wonderful sweetness and moistness! Pretty pictures of this cake. This looks like a great recipe to celebrate your blogs birthday!

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a wonderful comment, Annie! And you're so right – honey and agave are delightful in baked goods and they are perfect in this cake, too :)

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  7. Happy anniversary to your beautiful blog, Dana!!! What a lovely, moist celebratory cake...it looks amazing!

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    1. Thanks so much for the kind words, Liz! I really appreciate it :)

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  8. Happy Blog Anniversary, Dana! What a lovely cake to celebrate this remarkable achievement!

    Zoe

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    1. Thank you, Zoe! It was a great cake to celebrate this achievement :)

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  9. Happy anniversary to your lovely blog Dana. Your cake looks delicious and your plums are the most gorgeous purple.

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    1. Thank you so much for the lovely words! It was indeed a delicious cake :)

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  10. Happy Blogiversary! And what a delightful cake you made us. I love plum cake, and they're always great at this time of the year - thanks so much!

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    1. Thanks so much for the lovely comment! I totally agree – fall is a great time to make plum cake :)

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  11. Your plum cake was a big hit with my kids this weekend! It goes so well with ice cream :) Laura

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    1. Ohhh... :D So happy to hear that the plum cake was a big hit with the kids! I definitely have to try it with ice cream :)

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  12. Congratulations on 2 years, Dana!

    This cake looks like a really wonderful, delicious way to celebrate :) I love that burst of purple inside!

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    1. Thank you so much, Alex! This cake was a delicious way to celebrate the anniversary :)

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  13. Happy second year birthday! Your stories and pictures are breathtaking! Joshua

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    1. Ohhh... you're too kind, Joshua! Thank you so much! I truly appreciate it :)

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  14. Congratulations on two years!! So exciting! what an absolutely wonderful cake - truly lovely Dana!

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    1. Thank you so much, Jenn! It is indeed super exciting! :)

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  15. I'm so late to say happy anniversary! But truth is, it's never too late to celebrate with a cake like this one Dana! I just love honey in cakes. Pinning this recipe.
    I remember the plum trees in my grandmother's house as a kid. At the end of the season the grass below was just a blotchy mess!

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    1. Hi Paula and thank you so much for your kind words and sweet story, and for pinning the recipe! You're never late to the party, you know that :) Always happy to hear from you!

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  16. These photos are gorgeous! congratulations on turning 2!! that's such an achievement!

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    1. Ohhh... Thank you Jenny for the wonderful comment and for loving my photos! :)

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