Bake of the Week: Vanilla & almond plum layer cake with ricotta frosting

IT’S National Afternoon Tea Week. If that’s the case, it would be rude not to make this absolutely lovely sponge from Bonne Maman.

If you can find mirabelle plums use them, as they’re juicy, sweet and perfect for this recipe. Peaches or apricots work well, too.

Once finished, just add a pot of tea and a good book or some company, then you’re good to go!

You’ll need

225g unsalted butter

150g golden caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

2 medium eggs

220g self-raising flour

½ tsp bicarb. of soda

2 large oranges

140g soured cream

50g ground almonds

6 tbsp Bonne Maman mirabelle, apricot or peach conserve

200g apricots, plums or peaches, stoned & sliced

For the frosting

250g carton mascarpone cheese

1 tbsp icing sugar

75g ricotta cheese

Method

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas mark 4/350F. Grease and line base and sides of a deep 20cm tin.

Put 175g of butter into the bowl of an electric mixer with caster sugar, ½ vanilla, eggs, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Beat until light and fluffy.

Zest and juice oranges. Gently mix in soured cream, zest and almonds.

Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin. Stir conserve into sliced fruit and spread over cake mixture. Spoon on the remaining mixture and level.

Bake for 40 minutes, cover loosely with foil and bake for a further 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin.

Beat together the remaining butter with the remaining vanilla paste, mascarpone and icing sugar until very smooth. Finally beat in the ricotta cheese. Keep chilled.

Cut the cake into three even layers. Put one sponge on a serving platter and spread with a layer of frosting using a palette knife. Top with second sponge, spread again with frosting then finish with the top layer of sponge. Use about half the frosting to do this. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake, scraping here and there with palette knife to give a mottled effect.