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Plum, Marzipan and Almond Sponge cake

From Lin Caney
Serves 8 -10; 25 mins to make; 50 mins to cook
 
200g butter, softened plus extra for greasing
200g golden castor sugar
100g plain flour
4 large free range eggs
2 tsp baking powder
130g ground almonds
50g roasted hazelnuts chopped
120g golden marzipan chopped
500g (about 12) ripe plums, stoned and quartered
20g flaked almonds toasted
60g icing sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
 
1 Preheat oven to 180/160 fan/gas 4 and lightly grease 23cm square tin that is 5cm deep and line base with baking paper.

2 Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy, gradually add eggs whisking in between, add a little flour if mixture looks like curdling.

Sift over flour and baking powder; add ground almonds and fold in gently with a big spoon; fold in hazelnuts and marzipan in same way.

3 Pour mixture into tin and scatter plum quarters over, gently pushing them down a little into the the mixture. Bake for 50 mins until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

4 Cool in tin for a little then turn out to cool completely on a wire rack. (Can freeze for up to 3 months at this point by wrapping in baking paper and cling film).

5  Scatter with flaked almonds while cake is still warm. When cake completely cool make up icing sugar with lemon juice and drizzle icing over almonds in diagonal lines. When icing set cut into squares to serve.
Can leave out the icing stage and serve warm as a pudding with cream or ice cream.