One of My Favorite Recipes

Plum Cake

This recipe is from Cooks Illustrated, but I modified just a few things. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons raspberry jam

3 tablespoons brandy or wine 

1 pound Italian prune plums, halved and pitted 

1 cup flour (I use King Arthur all purpose)

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup slivered almonds (crushed walnuts work nicely as a substitute)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter

1 egg and 1 yolk 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract 

Powdered sugar (optional)

Procedure:

1. Cook jam and brandy/wine in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until reduced to a thick syrup (2-3 minutes). Add plums, cut side down, and cook until they shed their syrup, about 5 minutes.  Cool in pan about 20 minutes. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350. Cover 9-inch springform pan (or cake pan) with butter to prevent sticking (or Pam with flour). Process sugar and nuts in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add flour, baking powder, salt and pulse to combine. Cube the butter, then add and pulse about ten 1-second pulses. Add eggs, vanilla, and almond extract.  Process until smooth, about 5 seconds, scraping bowl once if needed.  Batter will be thick and heavy. 
3. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Using spatula, spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Stir plums to coat with syrup.  Arrange plum slices evenly over the surface of the batter. Bake cake until golden brown, about 40-50 minutes.  Cool in pan on wire rack at least 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan, and dust with powdered sugar and/or pour raspberry/brandy syrup on each slice.