Plum, Almond and Blueberry Cake

I like plain cakes without too many frills and fancy things going on, but sometimes it is nice to do something a bit more special. This cake was a successful experiment and went rather well with our afternoon coffee - rich and moist thanks to the almonds, with juicy plums and sweet blueberries in the mix. I served it with boozy cream for extra indulgence - we were on holiday after all!

8 Ripe Plums

1 dl Blueberries

150 gms Almonds

3 Eggs

180 gms Flour

210 gms Sugar

75 gms Butter

1 tsp Baking Powder

Lightly Whipped Cream

Dark Rum

Start by blanching the almonds and removing the skins. Put them on a sheet of kitchen roll and leave to dry. Wash and halve the plums, taking out the stones as you go. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once dry, use a pestle and mortar to grind 3/4 of the almonds. Cut the rest in half length ways.

Whisk the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Mix the dry ingredients including the ground almonds. Add the melted butter to the egg mixture, then fold in the dry ingredients. Pour into a a greased and breaded cake tin. Gently push the plums down into the batter cut side up, the scatter the blueberries over the top. Sprinkle the almond halves and brown sugar on to the cake and bake for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.