Posh Pudding

Maple Chocolate Glazed Plum Cake with Rum Blackberry Sorbet.

This isn't much more than the sum of its parts. I wanted something pretty to photograph because I've been left the use of the second best camera and I'm supposed to be learning to drive it. Needless to say this picture was taken in a fully automatic mode and doesn't come anywhere near what I hoped to achieve by it.

Anyway, to the recipe. I'm not going to bother with the sorbet recipe today, it's fruity, sweet and alcoholic but not quite right and it seems silly to offer something flawed when there are so many other recipes for sorbet out there.

Plum Cake - this uses fresh plums in case you were expecting a rich fruit cake under all that chocolate. I used greengages but think that a stronger flavoured red plum or perhaps Victorias would do better. Leftover cake is fine in slices with a nice cup of tea.

200g flour
100g sugar
100g soy yoghurt
100g oil
100ml pineapple juice
1 pkt baking powder
8 or 9 greengages
pinch of cinnamon - not entirely necessary.

Stone and chop plums roughly.

Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the yoghurt, juice and oil. Mix well and add the plums. Stir to combine. Scrape into greased and floured loaf tin.

Bake in a hot oven 200C for about 40 minutes.

Chocolate Glaze (for two puddings)

Over a pan of simmering water, melt 100g chocolate, 2 tablespoons strongly flavoured maple syrup and a couple of teaspoonfuls of vegan marg. Mix everything together well until smooth. Keep warm.

Assembly

I used portions of the loaf made into thick slices cut into circles with a tumbler. Use whatever cutters or shapes you fancy. Working quickly with a teaspoon cover the cylinders of cake with the warm glaze. It is quite stiff and will need to be spread a little with the back of the spoon. Set the covered cakes into the fridge to firm up.

Soften a little sorbet and use to fill heart shaped ice cube trays, as many as you need. Allow to reharden in the freezer.

At serving time, dress the plates with cake and sorbet as desired.