The house was filled with the orange and cinnamon scent of this delicate cake. The perfect introduction to the lovely autumn season that is approaching. Divine, cloudy, moist on the inside and slightly sweet to balance the sharp sour tones of the plums in season. Paired perfectly with vanilla ice cream or whipped vanilla flavoured cream for the chilly days of October. Preferably enjoyed inside with a warm cup of tea or outside in the garden with a herbal tea after the first rainfall of the season. I hope you resonate with this and love this cake as much as I did.

piece of yellow plum cake dusted with confectioners sugar on ceramic plate

yellow plum olive oil cake dusted with confectioners sugar on tray

YELLOW PLUM OLIVE OIL CAKE

INGREDIENTS (makes 1 rectangular cake of 28 cm x 21 cm)

195 g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons (tsp) of baking powder
125 g light brown sugar
80 g good quality unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
80 ml virgin olive oil
the zest of 1 orange
the contents of half vanilla pod
¼ cinnamon stick, freshly grated or cinnamon powder
¼ tsp fine sea salt
6 yellow plums, washed, halved + pitted
For dusting: confectioners sugar

EXECUTION

Grease the rectangular form with some butter, line it with a piece of baking paper and set it aside for later.
Preheat the oven at 175°C (conventional).
In a stand or hand mixer – with the paddle attachment on – beat the softened butter for 2-3 minutes. Then add the light brown sugar. Cream it for another 7 minutes until the butter is lighter in colour and texture.
Add one egg and mix until it is completely incorporated. Then add the second egg and beat to a smooth mixture.
Add the contents of the vanilla pod, the orange zest, the grated cinnamon stick, the salt and mix until the flavours are well incorporated with the rest of ingredients. While mixing on low speed, add gradually the olive oil while pausing in between to scrape down the mixture from the sides of the bowl.
Gradually add the flour and baking powder while mixing gently with a wooden or rubber spatula until you get a smooth and homogenous batter.
Transfer the dough to the rectangular baking form and decorate with the yellow plums.
Bake the cake in preheated oven at 175°C (conventional) for 30-35 minutes until you insert a wooden skewer in the middle of the cake and it comes out clean.
Remove it from the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack. When cool, dust it with some confectioners sugar and serve.

NOTES

1: When decorating the cake with the plums make sure that the fruit is only half way dipped in the cake. In this way the fruit will still be visible after the rise of the cake in the oven.
2: Enjoy it plain or served with vanilla ice cream or vanilla flavoured whipped cream.
3: Keeps fresh in the refrigerator stored in an airtight food container.

Alexandra

Ethereal cloudy meringue with the freshness and revitalising power of citrus fruits. The sweet acidity of orange and the bitterness of kumquat. Fragranced with the lemony scent of lemon thyme.

CITRUS CURD PAVLOVA W/ FRESH LEMON THYME

SWISS MERINGUE
120 g egg whites (approximately 5 - 6 medium to large eggs)
205 g granulated sugar

CITRUS CURD
120 ml fresh orange juice, strained
2 kumquats, muddled in the orange juice to release their oils and flavour
50 g granulated sugar
2 large eggs (approximately 120 g), room temperature
2 large egg yolks (approximately 40 g), room temperature
2 teaspoons cornstarch
90 g good quality butter at room temperature 20°C - 25°C, cut into cubes
2-3 sprigs lemon thyme (alternatively: thyme)

WHIPPED CREAM
195 ml heavy cream, chilled

DECORATION
Thin orange slices, halved kumquats and sprigs of thyme

PREPARATION

SWISS MERINGUE
Make the swiss meringue a few hours in advance or preferably the night before.
Preheat the oven at 90°C (fan function) or 100°C (conventional).
In bain-marie over medium fire, combine the sugar and the egg whites. Warm it up while stirring occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved and the temperature of the mix reaches 45°C. If you don't have a candy thermometer to measure the exact temperature, you will know that it is ready when the solution is opaque and smooth to the touch (not grainy from the undissolved sugar). When ready, beat the sugar-egg whites solution using a stand or hand mixer (whisk attachment) at a medium-high speed. Whisk for at least 7-10 minutes until the meringue cools and glossy stable peaks are formed.
Transfer on a baking tray that you have previously lined with parchment paper, distribute evenly, and form a disk of meringue. Shape an indentation in the centre of the disk to leave space for the curd. Bake for at least 1 ½ hours (90 minutes) while turning the baking tray every 30 minutes for an even bake. When ready, turn off the oven and let the meringue cool completely in the oven with the oven door closed.

CITRUS CURD
In a mixing bowl, add the cornstarch. Throw in the first egg and whisk it thoroughly until it is well combined with the cornstarch and there are no lumps. Add the second egg and egg yolks and whisk until smooth. Muddle the kumquats in the orange juice and strain. In a pan, over low fire, warm up the citrus juice, sugar and lemon thyme (or thyme) until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the eggs - cornstarch mixture slowly to the juices while constantly stirring - using a whisk. Continue whisking until the curd is thicker (after approximately 5 minutes). Remove from fire, and add the cubed butter at room temperature. Whisk until all butter is melted and well incorporated in the curd. Pass the curd through a sieve to remove the thyme sprigs and lumps in the curd that might have formed.
Set aside and let it completely cool until you assemble the pavlova.

WHIPPED CREAM
Place your mixing bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes to acquire the ideal temperature for beating your heavy cream. When ready, beat the chilled heavy cream - using a stand or hand mixer - (whisk attachment) until soft peaks form.

ASSEMBLING THE PAVLOVA
Place the meringue on a cake stand or serving disk. Add the cooled curd in the centre and let it softly drip on the side. Decorate the circumference of the meringue with the heavy cream. You can use an icing tip if you fancy practicing your icing skills.
Decorate with the sliced orange, kumquat and lemon thyme and enjoy this dream!

Good luck guys!

Alexandra