Friday Recipe Blogging: Plum Cake

So last week Medieval Woman started her own little tradition, recipe blogging (and here is today's instalment). Since I'm not much of a poetry blogger, I'm following her lead.I'm just in the midst of preparing a dinner for some friends.

I've been so excited about all the local produce I've been getting at the neighbourhood organic farmer's market, so I'm using lots of that. Making this roasted tomato soup with the crazy tomato bounty I bought yesterday...also serving organic sheep's cheese from the market, with baguette (and then the decidedly not local-markety, but always awesome, lemon parmesan linguine).

And I've made this most gorgeous cake! I bought these plums at the market yesterday, too. The flesh is this startling deep fuschia colour...I've never seen anything quite like it. I've made them into this plum cake recipe that was in the Globe and Mail last Saturday...it sure looks freaking gorgeous...seriously, that colour! I don't even want to cut into it.

Will serve with *very* lightly sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Plum Cake (Globe and Mail, August 19, 2006)

2 pounds plums, quartered and pitted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cake:
2 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoon vanilla
½ cup canola oil
3 tablespoons orange juice
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line bottom of pan with parchment paper.

Toss together plums, 1/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Reserve.

Use an electric mixer to beat eggs, ¾ cup sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until pale and thick. Blend in oil and orange juice.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to egg mixture, folding together until batter is blended and smooth. Reserve.

Spread batter into prepared cake pan. Artfully arrange plums over surface of batter and press them down slightly to partly submerge. Drizzle any juice over top.

Bake for 1 hour to an hour and 10 minutes in lower third of oven, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool in pan. Slice and serve warm or cold. Serves 4 with leftovers for breakfast the next morning.