Upside-down plum cake by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

• 50 g butter
• 100 g sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 500 g plums
• 100 g butter
• 100 g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 100 g flour
• 40 g cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon cocoa (optional)
• 1 tablespoon flour (if not using cocoa)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 50 g chocolate

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 180°C. Wash the plums, halve them and remove the stones. 2. In a 20 cm ovenproof pan, melt 50 g butter on the stove. Add 100 g sugar and 1 tablespoon water; cook for 5 minutes, until you have a thick syrup. 3. Add the plums to the syrup and turn them to coat well. Arrange them in a single layer to cover the bottom of the pan, then set the pan aside. 4. Separate the eggs. Beat 100 g butter with 100 g sugar until fluffy, then add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition. 5. Fold in the flour, cornmeal and, if using, the cocoa. If you leave out the cocoa, add the extra tablespoon of flour too. 6. Beat the egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt until stiff. Gently fold them into the batter. 7. Pour the batter over the plums and level it without moving them. Break the chocolate over the top and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cake is browned around the edges and firm. 8. Leave the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a plate.