Taste of Sicilian sunshine cooked up in an easy plum cake

By Leah Eskin, Chicago Tribune

Sicily draws admirers to its seas, sands and sites; Risa took the job seriously. She booked a villa, fully staffed, and stocked it with friends. They gazed at ruins, they crept through caves, they focused on the feast.

Mornings, on the terrace, they acquiesced to wild berries, fresh granitas and Bundt cakes in chocolate, lemon and orange. Midday the view shifted to eggplant, cheeses, gelatos — and a glistening plum-black cake. Nights in the formal dining room, they toured creamy pastas, fat red shrimp, garlic-heavy chicken. They pleaded for plum cake.

On the last day, the group gathered in the kitchen; they had one lingering concern. Choosing a heavy skillet, the chef melted in sugar, packed in plums, smoothed on batter. Baked and turned out, the cake glistened plum-black.

Risa came back with snapshots, with sighs and a single recipe. Puzzling through the prim cursive and odd metrics, she melted and packed and smoothed. Her cake glistened plum-black and tasted of Sicilian sunshine.

PLUM CAKE

Prep: 30 minutes

Bake: 40 minutes

Makes: One low 10-inch cake, serves 12

6 to 8 plums, choose tart, firm, almost-ripe beauties

1 1/4 cups plus 1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 3 or 4 chunks

3 large eggs

Prep: Halve plums along their cleft lines. Pull out stones. Set a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Caramelize: Measure 1 1/4 cups sugar into a heavy 9- or 10-inch skillet, preferably cast-iron. Stir in salt and water (no more stirring). Set skillet over medium-high heat. In about 9 minutes, sugar will begin to color. Tilt pan, swirling sugar to an even medium-brown. Pull off heat. Set plum halves, cut-sides down, into the caramel.

Buzz: Measure remaining 1 cup sugar, the flour and baking powder into the food processor. Buzz to combine. Drop in butter. Process until crumbly, about 20 seconds. Slide in eggs, and process until batter comes together, about 10 seconds.

Bake: Drop mounds of batter onto the plums. Using an offset spatula, spread evenly. Set skillet on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and springy, 40â€”42 minutes.

Flip: Let cool, 10 minutes. Run the spatula around the edge of the pan. Set a serving platter upside down over skillet. Using mitts, hold platter and skillet together and invert, landing cake on platter. Lift away skillet. Enjoy warm or room temperature.

By Leah Eskin, Chicago Tribune