very greengaging

Greengages, the sweet, thin skinned, short seasoned plum-like fruit that often passes me by each year. My sister Amy is a big fan of greengages and hearing her talk about them, earlier this week, made me go and find some.

Once I bought them I wasn't too sure what to do with them. When I buy apricots, I usually bake them gently with amaretto or make a compote or crumble. I do the same with plums but with the greengages, I thought I'd make a cake and for some reason I thought I'd make a pecan cake with greengages - quick, simple and very tasty and seemed a big hit with my parents (or was that the custard and ice-cream?)

Greengage and Pecan Slab

• 4 oz unsalted butter, soft


• 4 oz soft brown sugar


• 2 oz spelt flour


• 2 oz self raising flour


• half tsp baking powder


• half tsp vanilla extract


• 2 eggs


• 4 oz pecans, roasted


• approx 10 greengages


• dark muscavado or Demerara sugar

1. Place all the ingredients except the nuts into a food processor and combine


2. Add half the nuts and pulse until they are broken down - but not ground


3. Half and de-stoned the greengages and lay on the bottom of a lined tin


4. Pour batter into lined small, rectangular baking tray


5. Top with remaining broken pecan nuts and a good sprinkle of muscavado sugar and bake for 20 mins at 160º  c


6. Cool on wire rack for 10 mimutes then remove from tin