Plum and Hazelnut Pudding Cake

There is so much delicious fruit in, or just coming into season at the moment I find myself going fruit crazy! Consequently, I do on occasion have some leftover which is a great excuse to fire up the oven and get baking. This time I used some fat plums to make a pudding cake which is sooooo delicious both hot with custard as a pudding or cold as a cake. I've tried to keep it wholesome too, well relatively at least. ;-)

Prep time: 20 Mins (Plus macerating time)

Baking time: 45 Mins

300g Ripe Plums (Stoned and chopped)

50g Light Muscovado Sugar

Zest and Juice of 1 Medium Orange

115g 0% Natural Yoghurt

2 Large Eggs

125g Light Muscovado Sugar

75g Wholemeal Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

100g Ground Hazelnuts

Ok, lets start with the plums. Add the plums to a large mixing bowl and cover with the sugar, along with the orange zest and juice. Cover and leave in a cool place to macerate for at least four hours (ideally overnight), stirring occasionally. 

Once the plums have macerated you can start on the pudding. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, grease a 16cm pudding tin and line the bottom with a little disc of baking paper. In a large mixing bowl beat together the yoghurt, eggs and sugar. Add the flour and baking powder, followed by the hazelnuts then mix to a consistent batter. Add the plums, leaving behind about 3tbsp along with the macerating liquor and fold through to combine.

Add the remaining plums and liquor to the tin, then top with the cake mixture, evening to the edges. Cover with a sheet of greased foil and bake in the centre of the oven for around 45 minutes. When you are happy the cake is baked remove from the oven, carefully peel off the foil and leave in the tin for around ten minutes. Run a flat bladed knife around the edge of the cake to free it then turn out onto a plate, peeling off the baking paper from the top. You're all done!