My all-time favourite recipe from the many years I presented Food in a Minute.

Ingredients

• 250 grams butter, softened
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 1 egg
• grated rind 1 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2½ cups flour
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 400 gram can dark plums in syrup, well-drained
• icing sugar to dust

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Lightly grease and flour a 23-cm round cake tin.
2. In a bowl or food processor, mix together the butter, sugar, egg, orange rind and vanilla essence until well mixed.
3. Add the flour and baking powder and stir or pulse to mix in.
4. Press two-thirds of the mixture onto the base of the prepared tin.
5. Halve and stone the plums. Arrange over the base.
6. With floured hands dot the remaining dough on top.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Stand for 10 minutes before serving dusted with icing sugar and accompanied with lashings of whipped cream.

Cooks Tips

Variations:

Use canned apples and lemon rind

Use poached or stewed rhubarb

Use 1½-2 cups fresh raspberries