I hope all of you are doing OK during the lockdown, wherever you are. We feel so lucky to be able to spend time in our garden, where the plants are really moving on. There is lots of blossom…..
beautiful tulips
and the acer looks lovely clothed in bright green spring leaves
The broad beans have been planted out in the garden and the sunflowers are germinating in the greenhouse…
It was my sister-in-law’s birthday yesterday so I baked her a birthday cake. Since she lives many miles away we are having to eat it ourselves, which is a shame…
Plum and orange cake
500g plums (I only had 250g, so just used those)
Zest and juice of 1 small to medium sized orange (depending on how orangey you want it to be)
1 vanilla pod (or 1.5 teaspoons vanilla bean paste)
150g unsalted butter
50g caster sugar
2 eggs
85g self raising flour
1.2 teaspoon baking powder
100g ground almonds
- Preheat oven to 180/160 fan, grease and line a round 20cm cake tin
- Stone plums and slice into about 8 slices each. Place in an oven proof dish with the orange zest and juice and the split vanilla pod (or bean paste). Bake for around 20 mins. When baked, scrape in the vanilla seeds (if using a pod) and discard the pod.
- Meanwhile beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Then beat in eggs individually.
- Mix in flour, baking powder and ground almonds and spoon into the baking tin
- Add the plums and orange juice and press the plums into the cake mix
- Bake for around 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean
sweet enough bakes 