Upside-down ayurvedic spiced plum cakes

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  • Prep time:25mins
  • Cooking time:30-55mins
  • Recipe serves:12 cakes

Fabulous foraged Black Doris plums snuggling into a healing ayurvedic spiced cake with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and cloves. These cakes are so much fun and will be in the school lunch boxes this week, as they remain lovely and moist. Ayurvedic medicine is one of the world's oldest medical systems. It originated in India and has evolved there over thousands of years. It is known as 'the universal medicine' for its versatility and healing properties. So Spice Up Your Life With Ayurveda!

Ingredients

Cakes

  • 175g organic butter or coconut oil
  • 150g organic coconut sugar
  • 100g molasses or honey 
  • 2 organic eggs, beaten (thanks chickies)
  • 200ml full fat milk or nut milk
  • 300g organic wholemeal spelt flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric 
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 big pinch of quality salt

 

Compote

  • Butter, ghee or coconut oil, for greasing 
  • 2 tbsp organic coconut sugar
  • 500g ripe plums (you could cook these to make a compote with a little coconut sugar or honey and splash of water to turn the plummy volume up!!)

Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C. Grease and line the base of muffin tins (for individual cakes) or a 23cm cake tin with baking paper. Grease the paper generously and sprinkle with the coconut sugar. Halve the plums and arrange in the base of the muffin pans (or if you made a compote with your plums - dollop in a generous spoonful).
  2. For the cake, melt the butter, coconut sugar and molasses in a large pan over a low heat, stirring until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes, then stir in the eggs and milk. Gently fold in the spelt flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices, salt and then mix to a smooth batter.
  3. Pour the batter into the muffin tins or cake tin, over the plums, and bake for about 30 minutes for baby ones or 45-55 minutes for a larger cake until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and carefully invert onto a wire rack. These darlings will keep in the fridge, wrapped in baking parchment, for up to 5 days. The fruit keeps them lovely and moist, great for school lunch boxes.