Over the last few weeks, there has been a glut of cherry plums in Addis. The fruit and vegetable stands have dozens of bags for sale and men push wheelbarrows full of the fruit through the streets. I have been enjoying a couple of handfuls of cherry plums every day and decided it was time to make a dessert out of them.
This recipe combines the distinct flavors of cocoa, nutty olive oil and ripe fruit. The quality of the olive oil you use can make a significant difference in the final dish. While more expensive, extra virgin vastly improves the richness of the background tastes.
The dessert is very light and each bite mixes the airy texture of the cake with the stone fruit. If you like some tart with your sweet, use cherry plums that are lighter in color. If you only have lighter cherry plums available when making this dessert, target them with the light brown sugar for a sweeter cake.
Cherry Plum, Cocoa and Olive Oil Cake
Inspired by and adapted from this recipe from Louise Mellor.
Prep to plate: 45 minutes (plus cooling)
Ingredients
3 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp cocoa powder
A couple of handfuls of cherry plums
Two large pinches of sea salt
Light brown sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
2. Grease a 9X9 inch baking pan with olive oil.
3. Separate the yolks and whites of each egg and place in separate bowls.
4. Beat the egg whites with a mixer for two minutes. Add half of the white sugar to the egg white and beat until stiff peaks form.
5. Remove the egg whites from the bowl and add in the egg yolks, the rest of the sugar and the vanilla extract.
6. Beat the egg yolk mixture on high speed for two minutes, then lower speed and slowly pour in olive oil while mixing for an additional two minutes.
7. Continue mixing on low speed and add in salt, then add the flour a large spoonful at a time. Beat until smooth.
8. Fold in the egg whites to the mixture. Once fully integrated, add cocoa powder and fold the mixture for another couple of minutes.
9. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and arrange the plum halves in the batter. Sprinkle the light brown sugar over the batter and fruit.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until top is slightly firm.
11. Cool and serve. A scoop of vanilla ice cream goes well with a slice of this cake.
