WHAT sort of a cake do we need for entertaining at Christmas? One that is easy to prepare - what with all this cooking that has to be done, there is no time for cooking - which has festive flavours, and which we can serve to guests who drop in unexpectedly, and want tea and sherry, rather than another G and T.
Well, here is that cake. A piece of cake to make, and delicious and sweet and kiddy-friendly, it is a recipe of Bruno Loubet's, and will prove itself essential during the season. My own effort took rather longer to be completely cooked than M. Loubet specifies, which is likely just the difference between his oven and mine, so keep inserting that skewer until it comes out clean.
Prunes Four Quarters
250g (9 oz) soft butter
250g (9 oz) caster sugar 4 eggs grated zest of 1 orange
200g (7 Oz) plain flour
50g (1 1/2 oz) cornflour
2 teaspoons baking powder
250g (9 oz) pitted prunes
Serve with sweetened plain yogurt, Armagnac or rum
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/425 degrees F/Gas 7. Butter and flour a 1.3-1.5 litre (2 1/2 pint) loaf pan and line the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper.
Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth and white. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. When all the eggs have been incorporated, add the orange zest, flour, cornflour and baking powder. Mix just to blend the ingredients evenly, but don't overdo it.
Turn the cake mixture into the prepared pan and arrange the prunes over the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170 degrees C/325 degrees F/Gas 3 and bake for a further 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
When the cake is cooked, turn it out on to a wire rack to cool. Serve the cake sliced, with sweetened yogurt flavoured with Armagnac or rum.