Condensed Milk Cake

Wotchers!

The recipe this week has two relations on the blog – firstly to last week’s Diplomacy Cake and also to the recipe for Cream Cakes of a few months ago.

It’s a deliberate follow-on cake from last week’s triple stack of deliciousness in order to give you something to use up the rest of the prunes you rushed out to buy for one of the cake layers. You DID rush out and buy prunes, didn’t you? To make the cake? Hello??

Please tell me you bought prunes!

ANYHOO….

This cake is also related to the Cream Cakes recipe in that it contains no butter, but instead substitutes a tin of sweetened condensed milk instead of the previous double cream, making it a fantastic store-cupboard cake. As you can see from the top picture, it’s a very light and pale sponge, which is perfect for absorbing moisture from its sweetened creme fraiche filling/coating.

Soak the prunes in warm water to make them really soft and unctuous – you can even add a little splash of booze if liked.

Allow the filled cake to mature overnight – the cake becomes melt-in-the-mouth soft and the cream sets like cheesecake – and enjoy for breakfast with a mug of sherry tea.

Condensed Milk Cake

150g prunes
50ml rum/Madeira/mead/sherry/Marsala, etc. (optional)

2 large eggs
1 x 397ml tin of sweetened condensed milk
150g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
600ml reduced-fat crème fraiche
50-100g icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract

• Put the prunes into a small pan and cover with cold water. Add alcohol if liked.
• Bring the pan to a simmer, then turn off the heat and allow the fruit to steep.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan.
• Grease and line a tall, 20cm cake tin with parchment.
• Whisk together the eggs and condensed milk until pale and frothy.
• Sift the baking powder and flour together, then whisk into the egg mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cake is risen, slightly shrunken from the sides of the tin and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out free of liquid cake mix.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Using a balloon whisk, gently mix the icing sugar and vanilla into the crème fraiche. Don’t over-stir, as it will make the cream more liquid.
• Drain the prunes. Sort out 8-10 of the best-looking fruits to decorate the top of the cake. Cut the rest into quarters and divide into three portions.
• Cut the cooled cake into four layers.
• Put the bottom cake layer onto a serving plate and cover with a generous 2cm layer of the sweetened crème fraiche.
• Sprinkle over one of the portions of prunes.
• Repeat with the other layers and finish by coating the whole cake with the remaining cream.
• Arrange the reserved prunes over the top.
• Cover lightly with cling film and allow to mature overnight in the fridge.
• Let the cake return to room temperature before serving. Cover any unevenness in the cream coating with judicial employment of lightly-dusted cocoa powder.