In Hungary the most common fruit tree is plum tree. Two plum trees fall to every Hungarian citizens, their number mounts up to 25% of the country’s fruit trees. As the national drink Pálinka is made from among others plum, plum trees are essential parts of every garden in the country. Beside pálinka this fruit is also used to make the traditional plum jam that is cooked in cauldron and no sugar added.
Plum has many beneficial physiological effects. It lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, relieves the symptoms of indigestion. Natural medicine of fatigue – it supports the nervous system, promotes thinking and learning by stimulating the brain metabolism. In Transylvania plum jam is eaten to cure cancer – its effectiveness has been proven scientifically. If you care for your health just a little, don’t leave out this great fruit from your diet.
Well, this time I decided to make plum coffeecake. I chose Stanley plum because its sarcocarp is hard, but juicy, it keeps its shape during baking. By the way, Stanley plum is an American cultivar and it’s very popular in Hungary as it takes a short time to bear fruits, it’s self-fertile and frost tolerant.
The spice of this dessert is cinnamon which is actually a complement of plum, it goes hand in hand with this fruit. Its unique, exotic flavour interacts with the sweet and rich taste of plum and this taste experience summons the perfect harmony of peacetime.
photo: zserbo.com
Ingredients:
For the batter:
- 400 g (~1 lb) ripe plum
- 150 g (~2/3 cup) butter
- 80 g (~6 1/2 tbsp) sugar
- seeds of a vanilla bean
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 3 eggs
- 120 g (~1 cup) flour
- 7 g (~2 tsp) baking powder
- pinch of salt
For the topping:
- 200 ml (~1 cup) sour cream
- 40 g (~1/3 cup) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 egg
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 356°F.
Grease a 33×24 cm baking pan with butter and coat with breadcrumbs.
Halve and pit the plums.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add vanilla seeds, salt and lemon zest.
Beat in 3 eggs one by one while stiring continuously.
Sift in the flour-baking powder mixture. Beat until smooth.
Spoon the batter in the greased baking pan and smooth it out.
Stick the plum halves cut side down in a pattern.
Mix the sour cream, egg, cinnamon and powdered sugar until well combined. Pour over plums.
Bake it for about 45 minutes.
Serve lukewarm.
