America's test kitchen is a PBS show which meticulously tests its recipes, creating may variations in a quest for the exact perfect recipe. All so people like me can buy their "best of " magazine in the airport and start substituting. This is based on the Rustic Plum cake featured in The Best of America's test kitchen 2009, with variation by me. I'll leave their original in normal font with my variation in italics.
2Tbs red currant jelly (apricot jam)
3 Tbs Brandy (Rum)
1 lb prune plums halfed and pitted (a bunch of under-ripe plums and peaches pitted in pieces)
1 tsp cornstarch
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c slivered almonds
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbs butter, softened.
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1. mix jelly and liqour in a pan over medium heat until just thickened. Add the fruit and cook until they shed juices and thick syrup is formed about 5 minutes (cover because the peaches are too hard, wander off to discover plums have disintegrated, add cornstarch to deal with excess water)
2. grease and flour 9 in springform pan (any cake pan) preheat oven to 350
3. mix almonds and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, salt and baking powder and pulse to combine. Add the butter, and mix until batter resembles coarse sand. Finally add eggs, flavorings and process until smooth. Batter will be thick.
4. spread the batter into a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the plum halfs skin side down on the surface of the batter (arrange recognizable peach slices in a pretty circle, fill in the rest with a thin coating of peach/plum/apricot sauce)
5. Bake until cake is golden brown and wooden skewer comes out clean, about 40-50 min. allow cake to cool in pan on wire rack for 30 min.
6. sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
2 comments:
i will have to try this recipe. people at the market are always coming up to the booth asking for plum cake and they are sad when i tell them it's just my business name. i'm going to have to have the perfect cake for plum season so all of the plum cake lovers won't be disappointed!
Let me know how yours comes out Melissa- even with substitutions the cake was great. The fuit was still bitter and a nice combination with the cake. Almonds in the batter I think might be the key.
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