Plum, Ricotta and Almond Cake

• Servings

  8

INGREDIENTS

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 150g fresh full-fat ricotta
• Zest of a lemon
• 225g ground almonds
• 100g self-raising flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 5 the MONTAGUE tree™ plums
• 1 tbsp demerara sugar
• 60g whole natural almonds, roughly chopped
• Double cream, to serve

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a round 24cm cake tin.
• Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until pale and fluffy. Alternatively cream in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add in the ricotta and continue to mix. Finally gently stir through the ground almonds, flour and cardamom or cinnamon by hand and mix until just combined. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top of the batter.
• Halve the MONTAGUE tree™ plums, remove the stones and cut each half into slices around 5 mm thick. Arrange on top of the batter then sprinkle over the demerara sugar, avoiding the very edge of the cake as it tends to burn as the cake cooks. Scatter the chopped almonds around the edge of the cake and bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, when tested. Allow to cool briefly in the tin then allow the cake to finish cooling on a wire rack.
• Serve with double cream.