Plum and almond sponge cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Lightly grease a 23cm square tin that’s 5cm deep and line the base with baking paper.

2. In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand-held electric whisk until pale, light and fluffy, then gradually add the eggs, whisking between each addition (add a little flour if the mix starts to curdle). Sift over the flour and baking powder, add the ground almonds and fold in gently with a big spoon. Fold in the hazelnuts and marzipan.

3. Pour the mix into the tin and scatter the plum quarters over, pushing them down a little into the mixture. Bake for 50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Scatter with the flaked almonds.

4. Cool a little in the tin and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap well in baking paper and cling film before freezing for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly.

5. For the lemon icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the lemon juice and stir to a single-cream consistency. Use a teaspoon or piping bag to drizzle the icing over the cake, then cut into squares and serve as a teatime treat. Alternatively, omit the icing, wrap in foil and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes at 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Serve warm as a pudding, with cream.