It often is when we cannot do something that we remember how much we love doing it.
How to make a ciambella using cunning plums that I put in a jar last year
No-Butter and Rustic Plum Cake (Italian ciambella).
Forced rest.
My year has started with forced rest.
I am recovering from surgery. I am confined between bed and sofa by doctor’s orders.
After several days, even though I am keeping busy with books, writing, and reading, I felt the need to get up. My body refused the idea of another day spent entirely in bed.
Away from my kitchen for too long, I quietly climbed out of bed and, while the house slept, grabbed the ingredients needed to bake a good breakfast cake (or to accompany afternoon tea).
Okay, the sound of the whisk betrayed me.
And suddenly, my dear Mr. Bolognese appeared in the kitchen, worried about me. There was no lack of reprimands and invitations to go back to bed immediately. I asked for a few minutes, and I kept my word.
Rustic plum cake.
Do you love canned plums in syrup?
In summer, I prepare several jars of fruit. Especially plums and peaches.
I serve them in a glass bowl as a winter fruit salad; I also use them for cakes and desserts.
Adding fruit in syrup allows you to use less sugar without compromising the final result. What comes out of the oven is a soft, moist, and fragrant cake.
It can be prepared in about ten minutes, just enough time for the oven to reach temperature.
I put it in the oven and waited for the smell to waft through the house, announcing that the cake was ready.
I don’t think there are many things like the pleasure of an early morning cake baked with love in mind for those who will eat it.
Buona cucina, Monica
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Food tips.
If you don’t have a jar of tinned plums, use prunes. Soak the fruit in water (or water flavored with a dash of liqueur) for at least an hour to soften them.
You can replace the prunes with peaches in syrup.
If you have fresh plums, cook them in a pan with a tablespoon of sugar and a little lemon juice until soft (about ten minutes).
No-Butter and Rustic Plum Cake (Italian ciambella)
serves 6
bundt pan, 18 cm diameter
Ingredienti
wholemeal flour, 140 g
baking powder, 5 g
medium-sized eggs, 2
cane sugar, 60 g
prunes in syrup, 200 g
50 ml seed oil
1 teaspoon of natural vanilla essence
To garnish: chopped pistachios
Directions
In a bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric whisk until frothy and fluffy.
Add baking powder, flour, and oil and, using the whisk, mix everything.
Drain the plums from their syrup, cut them into large pieces, and add them to the mixture.
Using the whisk, blend in the plums: the soft fruit will disintegrate. Leave a few larger pieces here and there.
Pour the mixture into the previously greased baking tin and bake in a preheated oven, 180C degrees, for about 30-35 minutes.
Remove from the oven, leave to cool by opening the hinge, brush the surface with the plum syrup and decorate with pistachio grains.
I have a true passion for cakes like ciambella and biscuits. HERE you can find more recipes for breakfasts and merenda all’Italiana.
