Plum-Almond Cake (Torta Di Prugne E Mandorle)
This delightful rustic Italian plum cake is a beautiful balance of fresh lemon zest and juicy plums, topped with a golden almond crunch. It's a perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee, whether served warm or at room temperature.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sunflower or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 cup almond meal or almond flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup half-and-half or whole milk
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
- 9 Italian plums, halved and pitted
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 375°F. Lightly oil an 8-inch springform pan. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine the oil, egg, half-and-half, lemon zest, lemon juice, the 1 cup sugar and the almond extract. Whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the oil-egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum halves, cut side up, on top of the batter. In a bowl, stir together the almonds, the 2 Tbs. sugar and the butter and mix well. Dot the almond topping over the cake.
- Bake until the topping is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the ring from the pan and place the cake on a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. Makes one 8-inch cake; serves 8.
- Adapted from Williams-Sonoma <i>Rustic Italian</i>, by Domenica Marchetti (Weldon Owen, 2011).
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