Ingredients

• 250g/8oz plain flour
• 1 lightly heaped tsp baking powder
• 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 lightly heaped tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 lightly heaped tsp ground ginger
• 200g/7oz golden syrup
• 2 heaped tbsp thick honey
• 125g/4oz butter
• 125g/4oz light muscovado sugar
• 350g/12oz plums
• 2 large eggs
• 240ml/8fl oz milk
• 5 plums
• 1tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 1tbsp butter
• 1tbsp syrup from a jar of stem ginger
• double cream
• to serve

Directions

• Set the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Use baking parchment to line a 24cm/9½in square cake tin or baking dish.
• Sift the flour
• baking powder
• bicarbonate of soda
• cinnamon and ginger into a bowl.
• Warm the golden syrup
• honey and butter very gently in a pan until the butter and sugar melts. Stir in the muscovardo sugar. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• Halve the plums
• or cut them into quarters if they are very large
• and remove the stones.
• Break the eggs into a bowl
• pour in the milk and whisk lightly to mix.
• Pour the golden syrup mixture into the flour and mix with a large
• metal spoon. Pour in the egg and milk and continue stirring till you have a loose
• almost sloppy batter without any traces of flour.
• Tip the mixture into the lined cake tin
• drop in the plums and bake for 30-35 minutes.
• Now for the topping; halve and de-stone the plums and add to the same pan as you cooked the syrup and honey. Add the sugar
• butter and the syrup from a jar of crystallised ginger. Cover and leave to cook down.
• Serve the cake with a generous topping of the spicy plums and a dollop of cream.