Fruit Road Kill Cake

My driving lessons continue. Could I have actually taken the Peugeot out for a spin and only stalled her once???? Wow.
This. calls for a celebration.
Lets drink some Rose and eat lots of cheese.
Oh, wait. That is what I did yesterday when I celebrated….um...yeah.
Today I also managed to get in my first bicycle ride. Since I wanted to find my way around these parts without the aid of a motor vehicle my dad and I decided we would venture off and find our way to Cognac City Central. Apparently the main road is a bit sketch so we were advised to take some bicycle routes to get there. After pulling out our map for the five hundreth time we decided to throw caution to the wind and just head in the general direction of…north. Low and behold we got there an hour or so later. Three cheers for the road less traveled!
My father has a few obsessions in life.
Fresh fruit happens to be in the top 5. (Ask me about the other 4). So you can imagine his reaction as we are biking along and come across a wild plum tree that has disposed much of its bounty all over the road.
My dad came to a screeching halt as coming across free fruit of any kind is like finding a winning lottery ticket.
I wasn’t quite sure if these were plums, cherries or grapes. They have the texture and look of a small yellow plum, the pit of a cherry and the taste of a grapey plum.



They were delicious but as my father so eloquently said in French that they were no doubt going to give us active bowel movements. Ok, so he said diarrhea in French but I am trying to make you want to eat this following recipe so don't be deterred. The raw fruit is the problem. Cooked, you are totally fine.

We managed to score a good bowl full and I have decided they would be best in a spicy plum upside down cake. Also know known as fruit road kill cake.

Spicy Plum Upside-Down Cake

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 1/2 to 2 cups of pitted plums
Arrange plums at the bottom of a a round pie plate lined with parchment paper. They should generously cover the bottom. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of sugar.



3 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup of sugar plus 3 tablespoon
1 egg and 1 egg white, beat
Combine the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat well, adding eggs after sugar and butter has creamed.
In a seperate bowl add:
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of sour cream or fromage frais
Add flour mixture to sugar mixture in two parts alternating with sour cream.
Pour on top of cherries and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit until cool. Then reverse onto a serving plate and serve.



And, I bid adieu on this post with a view of the sunset from my side of the world. Once I figure out all the settings and inner-workings of this (new) camera, these picture(s) will hopefully represent to you the ridiculous oh-my-god-is-this-really-my-backyard- beauty of where I am. Bonne nuit.