Individual Meringue Plum Cakes

I bought a bag of plums at the markets last weekend. I’d been looking at the Louise Cake recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi and liked the idea of the coconut topping with the tart fruit, but I didn’t really want to make a full-sized cake. 

Instead, I turned the recipe into individual cakes. It works surprisingly well this way — the cakes bake faster, the edges get slightly crisp, and the coconut topping browns evenly across the top. They also feel a bit more practical to serve and store.

The plums soften down as they bake and balance out the sweetness of the coconut meringue layer. The texture is somewhere between a friand and a tea cake: soft in the middle with a chewy top.

The recipe below has been adapted from Ottolenghi’s. 

Portions: 6 Large Individual

Ingredients for the cake
125g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon (1 tsp)
3 large egg yolks
125g plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
20g desiccated coconut
80ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium dark red plums

Meringue
60g flaked almonds
140g egg whites (from 3½ large eggs)
1/8 tsp salt
185g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp cornflour

Instructions
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C Fan/Gas Mark 3.

2 Spread out the flaked almonds for the meringue on a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes, until they are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

3 Place the butter, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on a medium-high speed, until light and creamy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a bowl. Add the coconut and stir to combine. With the machine on a low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mix, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Scrape the batter into the prepared individual jars or tins. Slice the plums in half and place them on top of the batter. Place them in the oven until cooked, 10-15mins.

4 To make the meringue, place the egg whites and salt in a clean bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Beat on a medium-high speed for about 1 minute until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to whisk on a high speed until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Add the vanilla, vinegar and cornflour and whisk again until combined. Finally, fold in the toasted flaked almonds.

5 Scrape the meringue onto the top of the plums, and spread out evenly. Swirl the meringue around so you get rough waves and peaks, then place in the oven. Immediately lower the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C Fan/ Gas Mark 4 and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the meringue has formed a hard crust and is just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.