Dark & rich plum and honey cake

I would never ordinarily do this and I imagine a mega-blogger would be well in her right to hate me right now. But, let's face it, a mega-blogger with her thousands of fans has nothing to fear from me. The problem is the cake above, the most delectable cake I have ever eaten, barring all my mum and dad's, of course. Like buying the same pair of shoes as a friend (I did that once, she didn't like it), or turning up to a dance in the same dress, I copied a recipe post from superstar blog: Orangette. In fairness to me, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and we both share a love for Nigel Slater that would inevitably lead us to enjoy his food equally. I suppose what I'm trying to say in my long winded way, is that I feel guilty for this post as Molly had posted about the same cake a few days ago.

 

 Is a mere cake worth all this heart pouring? Yes, it certainly is. 

 

  

The cake looked so good in Mollly's post, I immediately set about digging out Tender Volume 2 by Slater and set to work on it, especially as I have some friends for dinner on Saturday and wanted to give this a trial run. The first snag I encountered, like Molly, was the lack of availability of golden syrup, something so easy to pick up in the UK and will literally be on the shelves of anyone who has a kitchen, (often neglected for years - but we just have to have it). Toying with the idea of using maple syrup instead, I eventually found a carton of molasses in the back of the dark, distant cupboard and decided to try mixing half honey and half molasses in lieu of the syrup. 

The rest of the recipe was unchanged and what transpired was incredible. A cake that was dark, rich and not too sweet, almost like a Jamaican ginger cake without the ginger. But, it was the texture that really shone. Dense, heavy and sponge like, (Nigel calls it a 'cake-pudding') Neil commenting many times that it was just like the golden syrup puddings of his childhood which came in a tin and were literally dripping with syrup. I agree that it is almost 'soggy', being so moist that cream poured onto it simply becomes absorbed. The plums hidden inside become soft and squidgy and exude juice which only adds to the moistness and a baked fruit flavour just hinting at tangy. I will be making this again today (Thursday) for my dinner on Saturday as it improves over time with the flavours mellowing and the texture becoming more and more sponge like. I will also use the same molasses and honey mixture as I like the slight bitterness taking the edge off the sweetness. So thank you Molly for opening my eyes to this glorious cake and to the wonder yet again that is Mr Nigel Slater. (I can imagine him secretly rolling his eyes at all us silly devotees. -"It's only food" he would say).

 

Recipe : A pudding cake of honey, cinnamon and plums

Adapted from Tender : Volume 2 by Nigel Slater

250g of all purpose white flour

1 heaped tsp of baking powder (in the UK we measure tsp and tbsp as scant, level or heaped)

1 level tsp of bicarb (baking soda)

1 heaped tsp of ground cinnamon

100g molasses

100g honey 

2 heaped tbsp honey

125g butter

125g light brown sugar (in the UK this is light muscovado - couldn't find it here in Canada)

4 black plums, ripe

2  large eggs

240ml milk

Preheat your oven to 400oF, or 180oC or gas mark 4

Line a baking dish or loaf pan with wax paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon into a bowl. Stir.

Mix the molasses and honey together until well combined and melt slowly in a pan over medium heat, along with the 2 tbsp honey and the butter. Once melted stir in the sugar and remove from the heat.

Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl and halve the plums, removing the stone.

Pour the melted butter and honey mixture onto the flour and mix well with a metal spoon.

Pour in the egg and milk and continue to mix until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be quite loose and wet.

Pour the mixture into your prepared baking dish and push the plums down into the batter.

Bake the cake for 35 minutes, then place a piece of foil over the top and bake for another 15 minutes. Finally, turn the oven off and leave the cake inside the closed oven for another 15 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. 

Serve with cream poured over. I wrapped this in foil and left it on the counter top for a few days between eating where it improved day by day.