Plum Cake (Szilvás Lepény)
On the small farm I grew up on in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, August through to September were the months we spent harvesting. Some years we had fields of strawberries, patches of pumpkins and even watermelons — but what I loved most were our plums.
Some days we’d sit beneath the plum trees on our fold up chairs and I’d watch my mama and tata sip coffee.
However, what I remember most are the afternoons that mama and I would walk between the rows of trees with Bodri, our dog. I’d try to reach for plums, but my height would lead me to resort to picking up the ones that had fallen around the trees. To be honest, those were the ones that were the most delicious.
As plum season began in Prague, all the cafés started to fill with delicious plum desserts. As all these good memories flew back into my mind, I knew I had to go to the market and make something myself. Here’s something I think you will love.
Ingredients (Servings 9-12)
3 eggs, room temperature
1 cup (220 g) butter, softened
3/4 cup (170 g) sugar
3 tbs (15 ml) honey
1 tbs (4.8 g) baking powder
2 1/4 cups (450 g) baking flour
1/2 pack (6 g) vanilla sugar
2 tsp (4.6 g) cinnamon
8-10 plums
Steps
Halve your plums (it’s easiest to follow the natural ridge that runs along them) and remove their seeds. Facing up, sprinkle them with cinnamon and vanilla sugar, then put them aside.
Next, beat your eggs until they are fluffy and then mix them with the butter, sugar, and honey.
Combine the flour with the baking powder and sift small portions while mixing into the wet mixture.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
Coat your baking tray (I also used ~30x40cm) with butter, and then fill it with the batter, and place your plums with their flesh facing down on top.
Bake for about 35-40 minutes.
Note: The cake gets softer as it sits out, so don’t worry if the top is hard right when it comes out of the oven.
Recipe adapted from Here.
