Ingredients
butter 200g, at room temperature
golden caster sugar 200g
eggs 4
plain flour 175g
baking powder 1 tsp
ground almonds 90g
buttermilk 100ml
flaked almonds 4 tbsp
Filling
butter 100g, softened
icing sugar 140g, plus more for dusting
dark purple plums 3-4
sloe gin 150ml
golden caster sugar 30g

Method
1. Heat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 3½. Cream the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one by one, adding a tablespoon of flour after the first egg. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground almonds followed by the buttermilk. Spoon the mixture into two buttered and lined 18 cm loose-based sponge tins and sprinkle the almonds over the surface of each tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are risen and golden, then cool on wire racks.
2. Meanwhile, beat the butter for the filling until it’s light and creamy and beat in the icing sugar to make a butter cream. Tip the plums into a pan with the sloe gin and sugar and cook them together until the plums just soften but hold their shape. Scoop out and cool the plums. Reduce the liquid to a syrup.
3. Sandwich the cakes together with some of the syrup and the butter cream. Decorate with the plums, a few more almonds and a drizzle of the syrup. Enjoy!
Recipe and photography attributed to www.olivemagazine.com