A cycle tourist from France who visited in prune plum season told us about her favourite cake from her home region Brittany. She said we must dry the plums and make this cake.
When she returned to France she sent us this post card.
Here’s the translation (with modifications a la Stan):
Take a good handful of dried robe de Sargent (or other D’Agen) prunes and put them in a pot with just enough water to almost cover them. Put on a low heat and allow the prunes to absorb the water. Mix a couple of times. When the liquid is gone add a good splash of Calvados or cognac.
Prepare the batter, just like for crepes. Beat 4 eggs with 175g of sugar and a pinch of salt, add 1 litre of milk and beat well. Slowly incorporate 250g of plain flour beating well to avoid lumps. Slowly beat in 100g of melted, cooled, unsalted butter. You could do all of this in a food processor, blender or with a stick blender. It's easier! This batter should rest for at least an hour and can rest overnight in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200oC and prepare a cast iron dish or springform by buttering it liberally and then dusting it with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Add any liquid from the prunes to the batter and mix it gently. Pour it into the pan and scatter the prunes into the batter. Bake until it puffs up around the edges and the centre has a wobble that doesn't look liquid. It should be brown on top. I sometimes bake it in muffin trays so the outer:inner is greater :-)
Remove from the oven, cool briefly in the pan then remove and eat it warm. If there's any left, it's also pretty good cold
