Serves 4
115g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
680g red plums, halved, pitted and each half halved again
200g plus 2 tbsp caster sugar
55g chopped walnuts
2 free-range eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
115g plus 2 tbsp self-raising fl our icing sugar, to decorate
Plum and walnut torte
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Grease a 20cm round cake tin with butter and line the base with baking parchment cut to fi t. Put the plums, cut-sides up, in two baking dishes and sprinkle with 85g of the caster sugar.
2. Put the walnuts in a food processor and blend until finely ground. Add the butter, eggs, vanilla extract, flour and remaining caster sugar and pulse until just combined. Scrape the mixture into the cake tin and level the surface.
3. Put the plums on the lower shelf of the oven and the cake on the middle shelf. Bake for 20 minutes or until the plums are slightly softened and the cake is brown and fi rm to the touch. Remove the cake and plums from the oven and leave to cool for 2–3 minutes.
4. Carefully turn the cake out on to a plate. Peel off the parchment and arrange the plums on top. Dust with icing sugar and serve