Gluten Free Polish Plum (or Peach) Cake

Peach version

Plum version

In my Uni days I had some girlfriends that worked in a Polish cake shop on Acland Street in St Kilda (Melbourne). I was never a big cake and pastry type of girl, but whenever I went in to say hi, I was always able to score a free cake - the one thing I always got was the plum cake. More like a slice with lost of oozy plums baked on top. Reminiscent of that treat is this gluten free version which I have made successfully with plums and peaches. You could really use any fruit on top but plums are the traditional fruit to use.

Ingredients:
100 raw or brown sugar (I used coconut sugar)
100g butter
1tsp vanilla extract
Zest of an orange (optional) - peel zest off with a peeler avoiding the white pith
75g almond meal
75g gluten free or rice flour
1 tsp gluten free baking powder
2 eggs
8-10 plums halved or 3-4 peaches quartered (or cut into sixths of quite large)
Extra sugar and ground cinnamon or cloves for sprinkling over the top

Thermomix method:

• Preheat oven to 180C or 350F

• If making almond meal and flours from scratch - mill rice on speed 9 for 90 seconds and set aside, then mill raw almonds for 12 secs on speed 7 and set aside

• Mill orange zest (if using) with the sugar for 10 seconds on speed 9, scrape downs sides and repeat another 10 seconds, scrape down sides again

• Add eggs, butter, and vanilla to the TM bowl and mix for 1 minute in speed 4
• Add dry ingredients and mix on speed 4 till combined, scrape down sides if needed
• Spoon batter into a greased spring-form pan or a slice tin lined with baking paper
• Place fruit of choice cut side up lightly over the surface to cover it
• If using plums sprinkle no more then 1/4 tsp of ground cloves and some sugar over the fruit
• For peaches use ground cinnamon and sugar
• Bake for approx 45 mins. If the top looks like its browning too much, cover it loosely with foil after about 30 mins. Check its cooked if a poked in skewer comes out clean
• Remove and serve warm or let it cool in the tin
  

• If cooked in a slice pan, use the baking paper to lift it out
• The batter will rise up the sides and maybe over the fruit

Conventional method:

• Preheat oven to 180C or 350F
• Grind orange zest (if using) with the sugar in a food possessor or mortar and pestle
• Cream butter and sugar till light
• Add eggs and vanilla and mix till combined
• Add dry ingredients and mix till combined
• Spoon batter into a greased spring-form pan or a slice tin lined with baking paper
• Place fruit of choice cut side up lightly over the surface to cover it
• If using plums sprinkle no more then 1/4 tsp of ground cloves and some sugar over the fruit
• For peaches use ground cinnamon and sugar
• Bake for approx 45 mins. If the top looks like its browning too much, cover it loosely with foil after about 30 mins. Check its cooked if a poked in skewer comes out clean.

• Remove and serve warm or let it cool in the tin
• If cooked in a slice pan, use the baking paper to lift it out
• The batter will rise up the sides and maybe over the fruit

plum version in a spring form tin

Peach version in a slice tray