FEATURE RECIPE
Plum burnt-butter cakes with plum semifreddo

Plum burnt-butter cakes with plum semifreddo

You’ll need to begin this recipe the day before.

Serves 6



Cakes
40 gm   butter, coarsely chopped
2   eggs
130 gm   caster sugar
125 gm   plain flour
75 gm   ground pistachios
6   plums, halved and stones removed
Plum semifreddo
200 gm   blood plums, stones removed and coarsely chopped
170 gm   caster sugar
60 ml (¼ cup)   brandy
1   cinnamon quill
1   egg
2   egg yolks
300 ml   pouring cream, lightly whipped to soft peaks


1 For plum semifreddo, combine plum, 60gm sugar, 1 tbsp brandy, cinnamon and 2 tbsp water in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until plums are soft. Process plum mixture in a food processor until smooth, then pass through a sieve, discarding solids and cool completely. Combine, egg, yolks, remaining sugar and remaining brandy in a heatproof bowl and whisk over a saucepan of simmering water for 7-8 minutes or until thick and pale. Transfer mixture to an electric mixer and whisk until cold. Fold in whipped cream, then plum syrup to form a ripple effect, transfer to a container and freeze overnight.
2 Preheat oven to 170C. Place butter in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until dark golden, remove from heat and cool completely. Combine eggs and sugar in an electric mixer and whisk for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Add flour and pistachios and whisk to combine, then fold in cooled butter. Divide mixture among 6 greased and floured 1 cup-capacity buttered cake pans. Place 2 plum halves, cut-side down, over each and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Stand in pans for 5 minutes then carefully turn out and cool on a wire rack. Serve cakes, warm or at room temperature with plum semifreddo.


RECIPE Emma Knowles PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Chen STYLING Emma Knowles


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