I’ve been a bookworm as long as I could read. When I was a young girl we would visit the library every Saturday and I would borrow another bag of books to read over the next week.
Amongst all the books I read spunky literary heroines were thin on the ground. Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree lot were nice butinsipid, Katie from What Katie Did was admirable but unexciting and three of the four March girls in Louisa M Alcott’sLittle Womenwere largely forgettable.
The girls I loved reading about were the trailblazers, the ones who broke the mould because they didn’t really fit in anywhere. I adored the impulsive and hot tempered writer Jo March in Little Women, the delightfully original Penny Pollard series by Australian author Robyn Klein and Mulan, the real-life Chinese girl who dressed as a man to take her father’s place in the Chinese army. These girls were brave, strong, smart and wholly original. They stepped off the usual paths to make their own and millions of girls like me cheered their every step.
My most beloved literary heroine was Anne ofAnne of Green Gables, that red-headed, freckled orphan created by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The plot: Anne goes to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island because of a mixup and winds up changing the lives of everyone she meets. When we first meet Anne she is skinny, awkward and plain. Later, she blossoms into a beautiful, confident woman but throughout it all she remains the same – a spunky, creative and impulsive person who can always see the positive in every situation.
Here’s the movie trailer.
Two words: Gilbert. Blythe. *swoon*
Anne was the person I aspired to be when I grew up.So you can imagine my horror when I saw that an unauthorised publisher had recently created this new cover (on the left) for their edition of Anne of Green Gables.
(Image courtesy Courier Mail)
GAH!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO OUR ANNE?
Anne is not blonde. She is not curvy. She does not pull her hair seductively off her face. She does not stare at the reader with a come-hither gaze.
Hoik her shirt a little higher and undo a few buttons and she could be an FHM cover girl. This is an appalling lapse of judgement by a new, unsanctioned publisher. Clearly whoever was in charge didn’t even bother reading the book. Heck, he or she didn’t even bother googling ‘Anne of Green Gables’.
FAIL.FAIL.FAIL.
It’s not that I don’t think we should move with the times — the fact that this Anne of Green Gables-inspired plum cake recipe is gluten and sugar-free speaks volumes as to the changing dietary needs of those dear to my heart — but Anne has red hair and freckles.
DON’T MESS WITH THAT.
Please don’t buy this new edition of Anne of Green Gables. It would be be an insult to everything that this wonderful book was actually about.
Now I’m going to go eat a piece of this Upside Down Plum Cake with vanilla ice cream to calm down. I suggest you do the same.
Did you read Anne of Green Gables when you were a child? What do you think of this new book cover?
Anne of Green Gables and Upside Down Plum Cake
Author:Christina Soong-Kroeger
Recipe type:Dessert
Cuisine:Australian
Ingredients
Topping
- 10 grams butter
- 100 grams rice malt syrup
- 6-7 ripe plums, stoned and quartered
Cake
- 100 mls milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 200 grams rice malt syrup
- 120 grams butter
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 cups gluten free flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
- Grease a round cake tin (I use a soya cooking spray).
- Make topping by putting butter and rice malt syrup in a small microwave proof dish. Heat on high for 20 seconds. Stir until fully combined and then pour into cake tin and jiggle so it coats the surface evenly.
- Arrange plums on top in pleasing pattern.
- To make cake, combine lemon juice and milk and set aside (or substitute with 105mls buttermilk)
- Cream rice malt syrup and butter until combined.
- Add baking powder, one cup gluten free flour and half of the milk mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until combined. Add rest of flour and milk mixture and beat until just mixed.
- Pour cake batter into the cake tin and level out.
- Bake cake at 190 degrees for 18 minutes and then turn down to 180 degrees for 36-40 minutes.
- Check the cake is cooked through by inserting a skewer - the skewer should come out dry (ignore any plum sticking to it).
- Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Run a silicon spatula around the cake edges to ensure cake is not sticking to tin.
- Find a serving plate and place over cake tin, and carefully turn over so that the cake lands (gently) onto the plate.
- Let cool for one hour before cutting and serving.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened cream.
I was recently chuffed to have two of my recipes included on The Huffington Post’s Stir Fry Recipes feature. Thanks HuffPo!
FAQs
Plum cake traces its origins to medieval England, where a fasting tradition preceded Christmas. This practice aimed to prepare the body for the festive indulgence on Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, a porridge-like dish, considered the precursor to plum cake, was prepared.
Why is it called rich plum cake? ›
It is not clear how it came to be called the plum cake. Some believe that raisins that are also referred to as plums in England gave this beautiful name! What makes it so special is the presence of almost all famous spices of the state – Cardamom, Cinnamon, Clove, Fennel, Cumin, Nutmeg and Cashew nuts.
What does the nickname plum cake mean? ›
Plum cake has historically referred to an early type and style of fruitcake in England since around 1700. Raisins and currants were used, which in the English language were referred to as plums since around 1660.
Why is plum cake bitter? ›
What is special about a plum cake? Unlike most of the cakes which are prepared in some minutes to a couple of hours, the preparation of this cake takes months. The slightly bitter taste and strong texture of this cake are due to the dry fruits are usually soaked in brandy or rum for months.
Why is plum cake so expensive? ›
Plum cake is generally costlier since it has loads of nuts n berries. Moreover it tastes good in butter and for the rich color brown sugar is added in it rather than normal sugar. Moreover for Alcoholic version it uses Alcohol for soaking , so all these things make them costly.
What's the difference between a fruit cake and a plum cake? ›
A Fruit Cake is a normal vanilla cake with fruits in it. Whereas a Plum Cake is made with dry fruits soaked in alcohol/orange juice for more than a day. A Fruit Cake's colour is white to yellowish inside, whereas a Plum Cake's colour is brown to dark brown inside.
What is plum cake called in USA? ›
The term "plum cake" and "fruit cake" have become interchangeable. Since dried fruit is used as a sweetening agent and any dried fruit used to be described as "plums", many plum cakes and plum puddings do not contain the plum fruit now known by that name.
What's the difference between plum pudding and plum cake? ›
A plum cake is baked in the oven and though it has the sultanas and glace cherries of a plum pudding, they are distributed more judiciously through the batter. No suet is used in a plum cake, butter is. And instead of treacle and molasses, brown sugar is used.
Is plum cake healthy? ›
Being a good source of a variety of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, potassium and magnesium, they support bone health, muscle function and immune system, adds Nanavati. Experts say that homemade plum cakes are a healthier option that can give us additional nutritional benefits.
What is slang for plum? ›
Plum” as an adjective means “desirable,” as in “a plum job.” The Dictionary of American Slang says that usage arose around 1825, and may be related to Little Jack Horner and how good and lucky he was to pull “plums” out of pies.
Some believe that raisins were referred to as 'plums' in medieval England; since the recipe called for an abundance of them, the dish came to be known as 'plum pudding'. On the other hand, some think that the original mixture contained prunes (dried plums), which were eventually replaced by more exotic dried fruits.
What does a Christmas cake girl mean? ›
In the 1980s, a woman unmarried by 25 was dismissed as "Christmas cake" — thrown out on Dec. 26. These days the big number is 31, and women unmarried by that age are "New Year's Eve noodles," noodles being a typical New Year's Eve dish.
Should plum cake be refrigerated? ›
The cake needs to be stored in a cool, dry and dark place. If you live in a hot or humid environment then it may be better to either freeze the cake until you want to ice or serve it, or keep it in the fridge.
How many days does plum cake last? ›
Leftover plum cake will keep covered in an airtight container or cake container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The cake will lose its crisp sugar topping if stored, but the cake is delicious for several days! Storing at room temperature is best to maintain the cake's moistness.
Who invented plum cake? ›
The story of plum cake, also known as the fruit cake, can be traced to medieval England, where it was a popular tradition to observe a period of abstinence in the weeks leading up to Christmas. A rich porridge was cooked and eaten to “line the stomach” for the upcoming feast.
Why is plum cake related to Christmas? ›
“Since individuals fasted in the weeks before Christmas to prepare their bodies for the excess on Christmas day, plum cake has been a part of Christmas traditions since the Middle Ages. Dried plums are soaked in brandy or rum for several months, giving plum cakes their thick structure and somewhat bitter flavour.”
What does cake symbolize in Christmas? ›
The Christmas cakes today are symbolized as a ritual of Christmas celebration; specifically, the act of sharing the cake with family or friends.
What does the baptismal cake symbolize? ›
Baptism events are no different. Baptism cakes are symbolic of all baptism events and a must have. The cake symbolizes the body of Christ as shared in Holy Communion and emphasizes the dedication of the child to God.
What is the significance of the plum tree? ›
They symbolise perseverance and hope, as well as, beauty thriving in adverse circ*mstances. As the Plum tree blossoms between two seasons, it is also seen as a symbol of spring - bringing warmth, transition and the promise of fruitfulness.
