Sponge Flan with Caramelised Plums
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A simple yet flavourful cake with fresh stone fruit and whipped cream.
Author:
Recipe type: Cake
Cuisine: World
Yield: 6
Ingredients
  • For the caramelized plums:
  • 500 gms fresh plums
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup Grand Marnier
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
  • For the sponge:
  • 3 eggs
  • 75 gms powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp almond essence
  • 2 tbsp Amaretto liqueur (optional)
  • 75 gms all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • For the topping:
  • 200 ml whipping cream/ double cream
  • 6 tbsp powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • toasted almond flakes
Instructions
  1. Wash, half and pit the plums. Cut each half into 4-5 wedges, depending on size.
  2. In a heavy bottomed, wide, silver coloured skillet or saucepan, place the sugar and heat on medium high. Swirl the pan occasionally but don't stir, until the sugar melts and turns a pale golden.
  3. Turn off the heat and add in the butter, Grand Marnier and cinnamon powder. Stir this with a metal spoon.
  4. Reserve a few plum wedges for garnish and add the rest. Stir gently. Turn the heat on to medium and cook, stirring gently, till the plums are soft but not mushy. About 5-6 minutes. There will be plenty of liquid, so you can reserve that to soak the cake in later.
  5. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool.
  6. Turn on the oven to preheat at 150 C and prepare an 8" round cake tin by greasing it, lining it with parchment or butter paper and then greasing + flouring it again.
  7. Whisk flour & baking powder together and keep aside.
  8. Using an electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar on high heat until pale, foamy and almost double in volume. About 8-10 minutes. Add the almond essence, Amaretto liqueur and beat for another 30-40 seconds until combined.
  9. Using a metal spoon or a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture until there are no floury streaks left.
  10. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. The top will be springy to touch and the sides would have come away from the pan.
  11. Allow this to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  12. Once cool, use a serrated knife to slice around the inside of the cake circumference and scoop out some of the cake to form a basin.
  13. Spoon the plums into the basin and then spoon some of the liquid too - all of it may be too much. You can use the leftover for another day or reduce it to make ice cream topping. Allow this to soak while you whip the cream.
  14. In a chilled metal/ glass bowl, placed over more ice, beat the whipping cream on high heat until it forms stiff peaks. About 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat for another 1 minute, until it resumes the consistency.
  15. Gently spoon this over the plums and garnish with the reserved plums and some toasted almonds. Serve chilled.
Recipe by Food-Dee-Dum at https://food-dee-dum.com/2014/07/25/sponge-flan-caramelised-plums/