Plum and Almond Cake

In Outcast of Redwall, this is described as being a dark, heavy cake with a fruity aroma, made with old cider and baked slow to keep it moist. I used applesauce instead of cider, because it's a good substitute for oil. You can switch the milk to apple cider if you want.

1 cup flour (white wheat, whole wheat pastry, or oat flour)
1/2 cup almond meal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup milk, nut milk, or apple juice/cider
1/2 cup honey

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 Tbls. powdered sugar

8 plums (any kind), halved and pitted

1/4 cup chopped almonds
2 Tbls. softened butter

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, egg, milk, honey, and almond extract. Whisk to blend thoroughly. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum halves, cut side up, on top of the batter. 

In a bowl, combine the almonds, powdered sugar, and the butter and mix well. Sprinkle the topping over the cake.

Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.