Telex: Brown Butter, Almond, Plum: A delicious cake for beginners

“Cake” is a euphemism here, because it is a simple cake with mixed batter, which I baked in a round shape, and thus I am entitled to call it a cake, even though it is actually something entirely different. The recipe also has a history, as it was one of the most popular cakes ever featured in the New York Times in the 1980s, and has been reprinted for years, yet has never lost its success.

The essence of blender cakes is that they do not need to be kneaded, risen, whipped or left to rest. These are success stories for beginners and quick fixes for those in a hurry. It doesn’t have to be worse just because it’s simpler, in fact, if the fruit is good and the butter is good, the only way to ruin it is to overmix, which is why the order of the ingredients is important. And the magic tool: the spoon. This is the easiest way to mix the dough in just a few motions without overworking it and making it crumbly.

The point is self-evident: the dough rises during baking, and the plums sink into the dough, releasing their juices, and caramelizing. The recipe can of course be varied: if you don’t have almonds on hand, walnuts will also work well, plums and walnuts are a great pair, and if you want a more pronounced result, you can add ground cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. , or a combination of these to peaches.

Plum cake

Basic materials:

• 1 kg of plums
• 120 grams of butter
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 100 grams of sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 100 grams of ground almonds
• 60 grams of fine flour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

I wash, pit and cut the plums. I put the butter in a small saucepan and start heating it over low heat, stirring. I heat it until it suddenly starts turning amber, then immediately turn off the flame and pour it into a prepared bowl. I let it cool while I preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

When the butter is already lukewarm, I add the sugar, mix it, then add one egg and then the other as well. Mix the sour cream, then add the dry ingredients: ground almonds, flour, salt and baking powder. With these, it’s really enough to mix them up. Grease a cake pan well with butter and sprinkle with flour so that the butter sticks everywhere. You can also use baking paper, but it sticks to the cake a little, which is not appetizing. I pour the mass into the cake pan, distribute it evenly with the plums and put it in the oven. They bake in about half an hour, but it helps to prick them with a needle to make sure the bottom isn’t raw.

If you don’t celebrate the rest of plum season with this adorable cake, make it:

In the Telex Cooking School series, we show recipes that even beginners can prepare with great success. Previous episodes of the series Found here.