Ingredients
- For the plums:
- 75ml honey
- 25g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 5 plums
- For the sponge:
- 125g light brown sugar
- 80g butter
- 40ml sunflower oil
- 2 eggs
- 35g hazelnuts, ground to a powder
- Zest of 1 orange
- 125g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1tbsp milk
For the plums
1 Grease a 20cm loose bottomed cake tin with a little butter. Wrap a sheet or two of foil around the outside of the tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or 160 degrees if using a fan oven.
2 Heat the honey and butter in a small saucepan, or microwave-safe bowl in the microwave until just melted. Pour the mixture on to the base of the cake tin and spread out to ensure it is evenly distributed.
3 Halve the plums and remove the stones, then slice each half into thin slices, about ½ cm thick. Then, starting from the outside of the tin, arrange the slices in a circle, with the plums slightly overlapping. Repeat to make another circle and continue until you have filled in the centre. Set aside while making the sponge.
For the sponge
1 Cream the butter and sugar together in large bowl or using a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) until pale and soft. Add in the oil followed by the eggs one by one, beating well until smooth.
2 Add in the ground hazelnuts and grated orange zest. Sift in the flour and cinnamon and mix gently until just combined. Add the milk and fold through.
3 Scrape the batter on top of the plums and gently spread out, taking care not to move the plums around.
4 Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until well risen and golden brown, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5 Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for five minutes before carefully turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
