“Juicy plum and peach flavours combine with almond to create this delicious upside-down cake”.

Ingredients
4tbsp golden syrup or honey
6 South African plums, halved and pitted
2 South African peaches or nectarines, pitted and sliced
150g butter, at room temperature
150g light soft brown sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1tsp almond extract
150g ground almonds
150g self-raising flour
2tbsp milk
12 whole almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin. Spoon the golden syrup or honey into the cake tin and spread over the base. Arrange the halved plums on top, cut sides down. Tuck in the peach or nectarine slices.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the almond extract and ground almonds. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, then gently stir in the milk.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and level it out. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Check with a fine skewer inserted into the cake – it should come out clean. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack and remove the lining paper. Cool completely. Serve with the almonds placed into the middle of each plum half.

Cook’s tips: Bake the cake on a foil-lined baking sheet, in case the syrup seeps out. For a dairyfree version, use dairy-free margarine instead of butter, and use almond milk as an alternative to regular milk.