Olive Oil Cake with Italian Prune Plums

Recipe by Catherine Pla

Serves 10

Olive Oil Cake with Italian Prune Plums

These little beauties are only around for a short time every fall. Grab them and freeze any extra to make delicious tarts and cakes once they’re gone.

• 1 c full-fat ricotta

• 1⁄3 c olive oil

• 1 c granulated sugar

• 1 t vanilla bean paste or extract

• 1 T lemon zest

• 2 eggs

• 1 1⁄2 c all-purpose flour (you could also use a gluten free baking mix such as Bob’s Red Mill

• 1-to-1)

• 11⁄2 t baking powder

• 1⁄2 t baking soda

• 1⁄2 salt

• 10-12 Italian prune plums, or any plums, halved and pitted

• 1 T granulated sugar

• Confectioners’ sugar for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9” springform pan with olive oil, then flour pan and tap out excess.

Whisk ricotta, olive oil, sugar, vanilla, and zest in a large bowl until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl then sift over wet ingredients. Fold with a spatula to prevent cake from becoming tough. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Toss plums with tablespoon of sugar. Place plums cut-side down on top of batter, transfer pan to the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then unmold to finish cooling on a wire rack. Dust cooled cake with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with whipped cream.