Plum Cake | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted jumper from Mrs Weasley, and a large plum cake.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K Rowling
Harry Potter will always be a classic - along with Enid Blyton it was one of those stories that made me somewhat wish I had gone to boarding school as a child (though honestly, looking back it would have had to be a boarding school in the UK with a clear focus on magical studies). The characters in the books are constantly receiving parcels and surprises from those at home and it all seemed like such a thrill. Mrs Weasley’s presents always seemed the best as well - a hand knitted jumper? Yes please. Homemade cakes and fudge and all the warmth that could possibly be given.
The days are beginning to become a little warmer in Melbourne as the winter comes to an end, and it was in anticipation of an upcoming warm weekend that I, rather determinedly, stated I would be making a plum cake to eat in the park. What I did not factor in was an event at work that Friday night that resulted in finding myself at a nearby bar ordering an array of gin martinis late into the night. Nevertheless I persisted, I came home and somehow, in a rather tipsy state, made a plum cake that Friday night.
It was a crumbly, buttery, delicious mess of a cake. And we inhaled it the next day, wrapped up (who was I kidding - it’s still winter, it’s freezing) in jackets, perched in a nearby garden, tearing off chunks of the cake with our hands because neither of us thought that forks or spoons could possibly come in handy.
Plum Cake
Ingredients
5-6 plums, cut in half with the stone removed
130g butter
150ml milk
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
150g plain flour
100g almond meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 180C and prepare a 9” cake tin by greasing the sides and placing a circle of baking paper at the bottom.
Mix together the milk and the apple cider vinegar and leave top it for a few minutes until it begins to curdle.
Using either a mixer or by hand, cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and well mixed.
In a seperate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients and combine.
Add the milk and apple cider vinegar mix to the cream butter and sugar and combine briefly.
Slowly add the wet mix to the dry, mixing until well combined.
Pour the mix into your prepared cake tin and press the plus halves down on top into the batter. I like using quite a few plums in mine - so it’s really up to preference.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!