MetaChat - I'm making this plum cake

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25 December 2008

I'm making this plum cake that crush-onastick pointed out. I'm a little worried, though... →[More:]

The recipe calls for Italian Prune Plums, and while the plums I have are definitely Italian, they must not be prune plums, because for the weight called for (and the space to put them in the pan) it takes about five of mine, as opposed to the 10-12 the recipe suggests. This is probably not a good thing.

I think I'll quarter the plums instead of just half them... we'll see what happens...

post by: taz at: 04:21 | 13 comments

Also, I don't have a springform pan. Of course.

But this is just business as usual, really. I don't think I remember the last time I had all the proper ingredients/accessories for any given recipe.

posted by taz 25 December | 04:24

Whoever does? Freaks that's who.

(Hope it turns out!)

posted by gomichild 25 December | 04:50

Here's a picture so you can compared the size of a prune plum against a pear and an apple. They're described as being about the size of a baby's fist. It sounds as if yours might be dessert plums. They'll be fine, perhaps not quite as sweet as a prune plum.

posted by essexjan 25 December | 04:51

Mine are pretty damn big. Like small apple size. I think they are black plums, because they look like this, and the pits were teeny.

I quartered them, and I also cooked them in the jam/brandy sauce a bit longer, because they are quite firm. It's between God and the oven now. *fingers crossed*

This is pretty typical of my usual recipe experience:

2 Tablespoons Currant or Seedless Raspberry Jam | oh god, I'll never find this. Oh, hey, raspberry jam, I can't believe it! woo! Not seedless, but what the hey.

1 Pound (10-12) Italian Prune Plums, halved and pitted | oooh! I noticed italian plums at the greengrocer; probably not "prune plums" but what the hey

3/4 Cup Unbleached Flour | Haha, ha, ha! Riiiiight! *uses regular flour*

1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds | hm. No slivered almonds. But I found these peeled almonds... i can slice em up into slivers if I need to. Meh. They are just being ground up anyway; no problem.

6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cut | Okay, let's see... 1 tablespoon of butter equals 14.19 grams... *gets calculator*

1 Large Egg, Plus 1 Large Yolk | Ack! The "large egg" problem again! Well, these here eggs are pretty large by Greek standards, but everything in the U.S. is GIANT, so these are probably, like, small eggs... *mixes it up* ... oh yeah, this stuff is like spackle. No way it's pouring at all *adds another egg, the smallest of the carton*

1 Teaspoon Vanilla | i only have vanilla powder, better add it with the dry ingredients...

¼ Teaspoon Almond Extract | wah! I've looked for this before, and never find it! Oh? What's this? Almond "flavor"? It's all in French, I can't quite figure it out... Probably not as good as extract. I better put a little more.

heat oven to 350 degrees | let's see... 350 Fahrenheit is what? 175 Celsius? 180?....

yep. like that, every time.

posted by taz 25 December | 05:39

oh! but I just peeked in the oven, and dahling, it looks fahbulous!

posted by taz 25 December | 05:51

Yay! Merry xmas, chef taz. Thanks for all your support this year.

posted by By the Grace of God 25 December | 06:55

It's very good! And also, now that I've made it, I see that it is really a forgiving recipe... I could make the same with other fruit (peaches!), adjust various things. It's not too sweet, which I really appreciate, because many desserts just taste cloyingly sweet to me.

Next time with these same plums, though, I think I'll use a full cup of sugar. It could be a teeeeny bit sweeter.

posted by taz 25 December | 08:11

Yay!

I have the same drama when I try to follow recipes other than Japanese ones here (in Japan). You can rarely get exactly what you need.

posted by gomichild 25 December | 08:33

Oooh I'm glad it worked out. Sounds yum. I'm going to make dabitch's saffron buns soon...

posted by gaspode 25 December | 10:52

Plum Cake: All the drama, All the adventure, All the excitement!

posted by Ardiril 25 December | 10:57

Yay taz!

Plum Cake: All the drama, All the adventure, All the excitement!

Hee. That made me laugh out loud.

posted by elizard 25 December | 11:24

Never woulda thunk a recipe thread would make me laugh so much!

posted by deborah 25 December | 13:07

OOOOOooooOOOOOO! Yum!

posted by crush-onastick 25 December | 13:27

← This seems like holiday music to me. || Reinbunnies! OMG! →

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