Prunes and Custard Cake Recipe

For the filling:

150 g/5 oz stoned (pitted) prunes, coarsely chopped

120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup orange juice

50 g/2 oz/¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar

30 ml/2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)

175 ml/6 fl oz milk

2 egg yolks

Finely grated rind of 1 orange

For the cake:

175 g/6 oz butter or margarine, softened

225 g/8 oz/1 cup caster (superfine) sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

200 g/7 oz/1¾ cups plain (all-purpose) flour

10 ml/2 teaspoons baking powder

2.5 ml/½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

75 ml/5 tablespoons orange juice

Method:

Make the filling first. Soak the prunes in the orange juice for at least two hours. Mix the sugar and cornflour to a paste with a little of the milk. Bring the remaining milk to the boil in a pan. Pour over the sugar and cornflour and blend well, then return to the rinsed-out pan and beat in the egg yolks. Add the orange rind and stir over a very low heat until thickened, but do not allow the custard to boil. Stand the pan in a bowl of cold water and stir the custard occasionally as it cools.

To make the cake, cream together the butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, then fold in the flour, baking powder and nutmeg alternately with the orange juice. Spoon half the batter into a greased 23 cm/9 in cake tin (pan), then spread the custard over the top, leaving a gap round the edge. Spoon the prunes and soaking juice over the custard, then cover with the remaining cake mixture, making sure the cake mixture seals in the filling at the sides and the filling is completely covered.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 35 minutes until golden brown and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out.