Plum, blackberry and hazelnut shortcake

Name: Plum, blackberry and hazelnut shortcake
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 8 large ripe blood plums; 3 tbsp light brown sugar, plus extra to garnish; ½ lemon, juiced; 1 punnet fresh blackberries; 1 handful toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Karen Martini

April 2, 2013

Plum, blackberry and hazelnut shortcake.Marina Oliphant

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:8

This has a really natural, old-fashioned feel to it. The fruit makes for a gooey, jammy core and the rich, crumbly shortcake is packed with flavour. It's great warm from the oven with a dollop of cream. It becomes more cake-like the next day and is delicious cold.

Ingredients

Filling

8 large ripe blood plums
3 tbsp light brown sugar, plus extra to garnish
½ lemon, juiced
1 punnet fresh blackberries
1 handful toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Shortcake

150g plain flour
30g cornflour
1½ tsp baking powder
100g hazelnut meal
½ tsp ground cloves
160g butter, at room temperature
140g castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a 22- to 24-centimetre springform tin.
For the filling, slice the plums in half and pit. Place the halves into a ceramic dish and toss with brown sugar and lemon juice. Allow to sit, cut-side down, for 10 minutes, then bake for 25 minutes or until the plums are just starting to collapse. Remove plums and set aside on kitchen paper.
For the shortcake, mix the flour, cornflour, baking powder, hazelnut meal and cloves together.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and light. Beat in the egg, then add the flour mix and thoroughly combine to a thick paste.
Scoop two-thirds of the shortcake into the tin and press into the base and up the sides in the shape of a shallow basin. Place the plums on the dough, cut-side up, scatter over the blackberries, and dab pinches of the remaining shortcake over the top, leaving some of the fruit showing.
Sprinkle some extra brown sugar and the hazelnuts on the shortcake blobs and bake for 30-40 minutes or until light golden. Allow to cool a little before unmoulding and slicing.