Plum frangipane

There’s no better time of year to get your fruit quota in. Just about everything is in season—with the tail-end of the stone fruit and the start of autumn hard fruits, like apples and pears—perfect for making fruit-based desserts. Now, a fruit salad is always a lovely thing, but there’s nothing quite like turning these seasonal offerings into a teatime treat. This easy plum frangipane leaves out the tart crust, which is handy if pastry scares you, and is gluten-free, so it's a really useful recipe to have up your sleeve these days with wheat intolerance on the rise. 

Ingredients

• 10 ripe plums, halved, pits removed
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp softened butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 200g softened butter
• 200g ground almonds
• 2 eggs
• Pinch of salt
• Zest of one orange

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Liberally grease a 25cm non-stick tart tin with butter (do not use a loose bottomed tin, as the plums will release a fair amount of juice, which is liable to leak all over your oven).
2. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter, then cover the base with the plums, cut to size.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, butter and a pinch of salt with an electric whisk until light and creamy.
4. Beat the eggs in one at a time so they are properly amalgamated, then fold in the almond flour and orange zest.
5. Spoon the almond mix over the plums, spreading evenly over the top so that all the fruit is covered.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick emerges clean from the cake when pierced.
7. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the tin to loosen the edges, then invert the frangipane onto a large plate or cake stand—if you’ve greased the pan well it should come out clean.
8. Leave to cool for another 20 minutes or so, dust with icing sugar and serve with crème fraiche or ice cream.

IN SEASON

What to watch out for this month at the market: Plums, apricots, figs, quinces and grapes

Tara Stevens is a food writer and cook who splits her time between Barcelona and her little cooking school in the Fez Medina. Passionate about Spanish and Moroccan cuisine, she takes traditional recipes and gives them a modern makeover using local and seasonal ingredients. Follow Tara on Instagram @courtyardkitchenfez and Twitter @taralstevens.