Mulled Wine Plum Cake
By OcadoLife
Published on 03 July 2022
After a boozy bake to impress guests over the winter months? Infuse seasonally sweet plums with the festive flavours of mulled wine - cinnamon, cloves, oranges and red wine to top this super simple sponge cake. This cake is great if you’re after something a little different this Christmas season. Glossy, syrupy and incredibly moreish, serve with cream or custard. Recipe from Great British Bake Off quarter finalist, cookbook author and food stylist Benjamina Ebuehi. Looking for more cake recipes? Look no further.Time and servings
1 hr 25 minsTotal time
8Servings
20 minsPrep time
1 hr 5 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 150 g of unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 13 ripe but firm plums, halved and stoned (7 for the cake; 6 for the topping)
- 125 ml of fruity, full-bodied red wine
- 225 g of caster sugar
- 1 orange, (½ sliced for the cake; ½ juiced for the topping)
- 3 cinnamon sticks, 2 for the cake; 1 for the topping
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 large eggs
- 120 g of plain flour, (we used Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour)
- 80 g of ground almonds
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- 0.5 tsp of ground ginger
- 1 cup of icing sugar, to dust (optional)
- 1 cup of single cream or custard, to serve
- 2 tbsp of light soft brown sugar
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease a 20cm round springform cake tin with butter and line with baking paper. Put the plums into a saucepan along with the red wine, 50g of the caster sugar, the orange slices, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Let the mixture simmer for 6-8 mins, until the plums have softened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool fully. Once cool, drain the plums, reserving the mulled wine syrup for later. Set the plums aside and discard the spices and orange slices.Step 2
To make the cake batter, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and remaining caster sugar together for 3-4 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the flour, almonds, baking powder and ginger, stirring until fully combined.Step 3
Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and top with the cooked plums, cut-side up. Bake for 50-55 mins until the top is well browned and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.Step 4
Meanwhile, prep the topping. Put the plum halves cut-side up in a roasting dish, mix in the brown sugar and orange juice and add the cinnamon stick. Roast in the oven for the final 25 mins of the cake’s cooking time.Step 5
While the cake and plums cook, heat the reserved mulled wine syrup in a small saucepan. Let it simmer and reduce for a few mins, until glossy and syrupy.Step 6
Once baked, allow the cake to cool in the tin for a few mins before removing. Let the roasted plums cool fully, then pile onto the cake. Dust with a little icing sugar, if you like, then serve while still warm, along with the mulled wine syrup and some cream or custard.