I’ve put no posts up for a while, due to a little op on the eye. Although reading was a bit of an issue for a few days, there’s no need nor time to be idle.

A gift of red plums were swiftly bottled. I mistook the variety, not realising that they were large cherry plums, rather than blood plums. Cherry plums can be quite sour even when bottled in heavy syrup.

No matter, they make lively jam and cordial syrup, not too sweet. Those that we bottled will be used for that purpose as the year goes on.

A neighbour gave me two huge bucketful of beautiful dark, sweet cherries, quickly made into jam with most of them bottled.

Today for the Custard Club’s hastily made morning tea, a jar of those went into a cherry tea cake – a simple butter cake batter with cherries popped on top before baking. While still hot, bushed with a generous amount of butter, cinnamon and sugar.

I had to take it along still hot, but no complaints (tea cake is best served warm anyhow).

Cherry tea cake slice

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 ¼ cups milk

2¼ cups self raising flour

Grated zest 1 lemon

3 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup oil or melted butter

Tin or size 27 jar of cherries – drained, halved and pits removed

30g melted butter

Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling over baked cake

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (fan forced).  Grease a slab tin 23cm x 30cm approximately, and line base with baking paper, then grease over this. (Slab tin should be approximately 6cm deep)

Whisk together the eggs and sugar.  All at once add the milk, flour, lemon zest and juice and oil or butter. Whisk until a smooth batter forms.

Transfer to the prepared slab tin and level the surface.  Place cherry halves evenly over the top.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to stand in tin for 5 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack then invert. 

Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste.