Thursday 16 January 2014

Polish Plum Cake




My Polish Plum cake - perfect for snowy days and homesickness


Well we're here!  The Limousin region of France if you were wondering.  A long, stressful, cramped journey with 2 cats and a camper van to our new abode in rural France.  A dream that has become a reality.  And what a shock it is!  Leaving friends and family, full time paid employment, and a daily routine we understood....also the reason I have been away from the blog for so long.   

We are working hard everyday, and sometimes it feels like wading through red tape in a big vat of treacle...while wearing wellies that keep falling off.  But we have faith and know we will get there in the end (wherever there may be).  Or understand that where we are is fine too.  That we can enjoy the moments and laugh at ourselves sometimes, and appreciate what we have: the opportunity and chance to follow our dreams. 

This is the first cake I have been inspired to bake in our new house.  I was looking for a taste of home, and memories of my Babcia's baking.  A simple cake with a few ingredients.  To make our house smell like home...I hope you enjoy.  Do let me know how you get on and what your favourite taste of home is?



ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter - at room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup milk 
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon/orange
pinch of salt 
about 12 plums - halved and de-stoned
1/3 cup icing sugar

method:
  • preheat your oven to a moderate heat - about 175C.
  • grease and line a baking tin - I used a 20x30cm size.
  • sieve the flour into a large bowl, then add all the other ingredients and mix for 3-4 minutes with an electric whisk.
  • pour half the batter into your tin then add the halved plums in a single layer before adding the rest of the batter on top
  • Bake for about 35-40 minutes - or until the cake is well risen and a skewer comes out clean.
  • remove from the tin after 10-15 minutes and leave to cool on a rack before sprinkling with icing sugar.  
  • Enjoy a nice big slice with a cup of tea - mine's an Earl Grey. 

Check out my other Polish inspired recipes:

Polish honey and spice gingerbread (piernik)







I have posted this recipe for Polish Plum Cake onto Javelin Warrior's Made with Love Mondays over at Cookin w/ Luv

JWsMadeWLuvMondays

4 comments:

  1. Relocation is always a challenge, but I'm glad to hear you're settling into your new abode :) And baking is always a great way to bring in some comfort! This cake sounds delicious and love the use of fresh plums...

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and your kind words. Glad you like the recipe. You can use lots of different fruits in this too. It's good with pear or apple :-)

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  2. Oh congratulations on your new life! I seem to have been so pre-occupied in the reverse - i.e. moving back from France to the UK - that I hadn't seen you were moving to glorious Limousin! Congrats, and wishing you a very happy life there. I'm sure you'll find it a much more rewarding and gentle pace of life and looking forward to hearing it all about it on Chip Butties! Incidentally I loved living in France (a little further south than you near the Pyrenees) BUT came back to the UK for a host of reasons including relationship split and poorly parents. But I'm now living in rural Herefordshire which other than the weather isn't exactly world's apart!

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    1. Thanks very much. It is a bit of a shock moving here but it's want we want to do and build a life and new business here. It's the first time i've had a garden so looking forward to growing our own fruit and veg...or trying anyway ;-)

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