Fermented Plum, Poppy Seed & Rosemary Cake

Method

1. If you’re planning to bake the cake straight away, set your oven to 180c fan oven. Line a 900g/2lbs loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Pop your sugar and butter into a bowl and use a fork to cream the two together. You can use an electric whisk if you prefer. One by one, crack in the eggs and use the fork to gently break them and lightly bring the mix together.
3. In another bowl add your flour, baking powder, ground hazelnuts, poppyseeds and salt and mix to combine.
4. Use a spatular to fold the wet mix into the dry, making sure all the flour is incorporated. Finally fold through the plums and rosemary. Carefully pour the mix into your prepared tin.
5. If you’re going to bake now, sprinkle the top with a little lavender and demerara sugar and pop into the middle tray of your hot oven. Bake for around 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when you gently press and a knife comes out clean.
6. If you’d like to try fermenting the cake, continue as above to pour the mix into your prepared tin and then pop the loaf tin into an airtight container and place it somewhere cool and out the way, but not in the fridge, for 1-2 days.
7. When you’re ready to bake, set your oven to 180c.
8. If it’s been very hot, we’ve found that the mixture begins to separate in which cake we use a spatular to gently mix the batter in the tin.
9. Sprinkle the top with a little demerara sugar and the lavender if using and pop into the middle shelf of your hot oven. Bake until the cake springs back when you gently press. The fermented cake takes a little longer to bake, around 60-90 minutes. Cover the top with foil if it starts to darken before its cooked through. Leave to cool completely before you slice it.