I had good intentions of posting a healthy, seasonally appropriate asparagus dish today.
I cooked it up on Tuesday, loading blanched asparagus with bread crumbs, chopped egg, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. In my head this all sounded like a lovely combination, and it did look beautiful, but turned out dry (too many breadcrumbs), awkward to eat (nothing stuck to the asparagus), and under-salted. Even Jason, who raves when I make a plain grilled cheese sandwich for him, decided he could pass on this one. What’s a girl to do when her healthy side dish fails?
Make cake instead.
I know I’m jumping the gun here again with using stone fruit in March, but call me overly optimistic. After a week in the 60s (and a single day in the 70s!) I went to the grocery store and proudly walked out with plums, thinking that if I pretend it is summer, the forecast for the following week (mid 40s) will follow suit.
Apparently, that’s not how it works, especially not in Wisconsin. But regardless, the cake still worked, plums and all, so I have zero regrets.
This cake is dense, rich, nutty, and just the right amount of sweet. As the cake bakes, the plums soften and intensify in flavor.
Topped with a simple lemon icing, it looks beautiful, making it the perfect cake to bring to a dinner party (which I did, although I did contemplate eating it all by myself).
Next time, I’ll bring you asparagus. In the meantime, I hope this cake holds you over.
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced
- 2 tablespoons walnut oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1¼ cup ground almonds
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup walnuts, processed into coarse powder
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 3-4 red plums, pitted and cut into ~6 wedges each
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a stand mixer, beat together butter, walnut oil, sugar, and almonds on medium high speed until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Continue to beat and add eggs, a little at a time, until well incorporated. With a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts, flour, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt.
- Pour batter into a parchment paper lined 9 inch cake pan. Level the batter with a spatula, then arrange plum pieces in concentric circles over the top.
- Bake cake for 70-80 minutes, until center is done. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, make the icing. Whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until a pourable icing forms. Adjust lemon juice and sugar as needed. When cake is slightly cooled, drizzle icing all over the top. Let cake completely cool before serving.
Recipe adapted from Plenty More.
Mmmmmmm this is like the Sharlotka I make! So simple yet so delicious! I have yet to make it with icing though…that’s a brilliant touch!
writes Girl and the KitchenYes – and when icing is two ingredients, it’s even better :)
writes Vicky[…] it was totally worth it. So last week I promised you an asparagus dish. And here it […]
writes Asparagus with Poached Egg - Things I Made Today