Torta Prugne e Grano Saraceno - Plum and Buckwheat Flour Cake

Fruit puddings are my favourite ones as they inspire my creativity. I can play with different  ingredients and follow the seasonal produce to make a good variety of cakes.

Yesterday,  at my local vegetable shop I spotted ripe Edwards plums, a juicy inspiration to make up a new cake. 

I quartered the plums and left to marinate in fresh lemon juice and sugar for few minutes.

Then I arranged them over the bottom of the tin with a good sprinkle of sugar on top.
Buckwheat is a strong, earthy-flavored flour, which gives a unique texture to my recipes and it well combines with fruits. I go for the dark variety, and I balance its dominant personality with the sweet and moist ground almonds. To enhance the softness, I just add a touch of starch flour.

Torta Prugne e Grano Saraceno
Plum and Buckwheat Flour Cake

600-700 g Edwards plums
The fresh juice of half lemon
2 tablespoons demerara sugar
150 g caster sugar
2 large eggs
130 g butter, melted
120 g buckwheat flour
60 g ground almonds
20 g starch flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cognac

Serves 6-8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 
2. Using a sharp paring knife, quarter the plums and remove the stone. Place in a bowl; add lemon and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Toss to combine and leave to rest for 15 minutes. 
3. Butter and line the bottom of a spring form cake tin (22 cm) with parchment paper and butter once more. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. 
4. In a bowl with an electric hand whisk, cream together sugar and eggs until pale and whipped, 10 minutes. 
5. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a bain-marie and add it to the egg mixture. 
6. Incorporate the flours, the baking powder and the cognac to the mixture, whisking continuously. 
7. Arrange the plum wedges over the bottom of the tin. 
8. Spoon the mixture over the plums and bake for 45 minutes. 
9. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. 
10. Turn the cake out into a serving dish, loosening it around the edges with a palette knife. 
11. Leave to rest for 20 minutes before serving.