Glazed Plum Cake

Let’s have a little story, shall we?

Once upon a time, when the Hare was trying to work out how he was going to have a good collection of recipes without having to transport a few hundred pounds of cookbooks every time he moved, he got an offer in the mail for a set of recipe cards – a set called, specifically, Easy Everyday Cooking.  There were a couple of sample cards in the packet, and the hare looked these over and considered.  “Some of these recipes look tasty,”  he thought to himself.  But there will probably be a bunch that I won’t use.”

“Well, hang on,”  Hare said to himself.  “It’s probably more likely to say there will be a bunch you wouldn’t eat.  If someone were to ask for a recipe for something like that, you would still have one.  And it’s not like you will deny cooking something for someone just because you yourself can’t or won’t eat it.”

“That’s true,”  Hare thought.  And he decided to get the card set, for at least a little while.  Several hundred cards later, he was right – there were a lot of recipes he would never make just for himself, but if anyone asked, he’d be more than willing to make anything in the set.  So all in all, it was a wise decision.

For anyone curious, not that isn’t how my thought processes go.  Not exactly anyway.  I tend to discuss things in committee more than just one on one.

Anyway – the recipe cards have been useful over the years, and to this day I have not been able to cook everything that I want to try.  Today’s cake is an excellent example – I will make this one day.  I just don’t know when.

 

Glazed Plum Cake

Serves 16

 

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

4 eggs

1 can purple plums, drained, cut into halves (30 ounces)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup plum jelly, melted

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9 inch tube pan.  Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar (the 1 1/2 cups worth), and lemon peel with an electric mixer until fluffy.

 

Add eggs to the large bowl one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add the flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended, about 1 minute.

 

Spoon batter into prepared pan.  Arrange plums over teh batter, round sides up.  Sprinkle with teh lemon juice, sugar (the 2 tablespoons worth) and cinnamon.

 

Bake until cake is golden brown, about 40 minutes.  Cool, then invert cake onto a plate.  Drizzle half the melted jelly over the cake, and serve the remaining jelly alongside.

 

Source:  Easy Everyday Cooking Recipe Cards

 

Notes from the Hare

Can’t find the plums at the grocery store, or are they just a bit too pricey?  Use peaches instead – fresh or canned – and drizzle with peach jelly or preserves.

Add about half a teaspoon of almond extract to the batter and sprinkle sliced or slivered almonds on top of the cake before baking for a nutty twist.