Flourless plum upside down cake

This cake is very easy to make – but it will impress those who can nab a taste all the same. Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 8 plums, halved and stone removed
• 225g butter, softened
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 cups almond meal
• ¾ cup polenta
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 250g Mascarpone
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C fan forced, line the sides and base of a 23cm tin.
2. Mix sugar and ground cardamom together, sprinkle on the base of the cake tin, place the plum halves cut side down in a circle on top of the sugar until the base is covered.
3. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric beater until pale. Add the eggs beating in one at a time, mix in zest and vanilla. Fold through almond meal, polenta and baking powder until combined. Spoon batter over the plums evenly and cook for 1 hour.
4. Mix together mascarpone, zest, juice and icing sugar. Turn the cake out onto a plate plum side up. Serve warm or cooled with mascarpone.