Ingredients
- 1 small orange
- 0.5 vanilla pod
- 85 g of ground almonds
- 4 ripe plums
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 150 g of icing sugar
- 90 g of butter
- 250 ml of ruby port
- 50 g of sugar
- 250 ml of whipping cream
- 1 icing sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 35 g of plain flour
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 190C/ 170C fan/ Gas 5. Butter the 6 mini tins or a 6-hole muffin tin.Step 2
Melt the butter in a pan and cook until it browns, then pour into a small bowl and allow to cool a little.Step 3
Meanwhile, sift together the ground almonds, icing sugar, flour cinnamon and a pinch of salt and set aside.Step 4
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites and another pinch of salt until soft peaks form, then gently fold in the almond mixture followed by the browned butter.Step 5
Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cakes spring back when pressed gently. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.Step 6
Meanwhile, place the sugar with 2 tbsp water in a pan and heat to melt the sugar. Add the port, vanilla pod and the scraped seeds and the orange zest and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, add the plums and cook for a couple of minutes until the fruit is tender but keeps its shape. Remove the fruit from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.Step 7
Bring the poaching liquid to the boil and cook for 10 minutes until reduced and syrupy. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.Step 8
Whisk the cream, sugar and vanilla extract together until soft peaks form. Slice each cake into 2 horizontally and sandwich back together with the cream. Dust with icing sugar and serve with the poached fruit and port syrup on the side.