Plum, Citrus and Orange Cake – Keke Paramu, Ārani Me Te Aramona
Introducing one of my favourite cakes of all time! This keke (cake) was created simply from playing in the kāuta (kitchen). I just put all the flavours of kōanga (spring) and raumati (summer) in to a cake. It has three layers to it. Layer one is a keke ārani (orange cake) that is simply mixed with a whisk and baked gently. Once the keke ārani (orange cake) is baked, we add black Doris plums (paramu) from a can with a little bit of the juice straight on to the warm cake. The third layer is a kirīmi aramona (almond cream), which is also referred to as frangipane. This layer stays soft and moist. We make this layer by whipping the ingredients together and then spreading it on top of the paramu (plums). Sprinkle the keke (cake) with aramona kua tapahia (chopped almonds) and bake until golden. The whole cake has layers of different textures and flavours that work perfectly together!
How will you have your keke (cake)?
Serving Option 1: Serve the cake warm with aihikirīmi (ice cream).
Serving Option 2: Let the cake cool, dust with puehu huka (icing sugar) and serve with unsweetened miraka tepe (yogurt).
Serving Option 3: Decorate it by piping on 200 g of unsweetened mascarpone, ½ C store bought kahitete rēmana (lemon curd) and add a few edible flower petals.
Plum, Citrus and Orange Cake – Keke Paramu, Ārani Me Te Aramona
Ingredients
The Orange Cake – Te Keke Ārani
- ½ C huka hāura (brown sugar)
- Kiri ārani (orange zest, of 1 orange)
- ¼ C wai ārani (orange juice)
- ½ C noni ōriwa (olive oil or neutral oil)
- ½ tsp tote (salt, fine)
- 1 tsp wanira (vanilla)
- 1 hēki (egg, size 6)
- ½ C (50 g) peru oneone (ground almonds)
- ¾ C puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
- 1 tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
The Plums – Ngā Paramu
- 850 g kēna (can) paramu pango (black Doris plums, you need 8-9 plums)
- 3 tbsp wai paramu (plum juice, from the can)
The Almond Cream – Te Kirīmi Aramona
- 55 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ⅔ C huka one (caster sugar)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
- ¼ tsp tote (salt, fine)
- 1 hēki (size 6)
- Kiri rēmana (lemon zest, of 1 lemon or orange zest)
- 1 C (100 g) peru oneone (almond meal)
- ½ C puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
- 1 tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
- ⅓ C (50 g) aramona kua tapahia (sliced almonds or slivered)
- 1 tbsp huka one (caster sugar)
- 2 tbsp wai rēmana (lemon juice, optional)
The Decoration – Te Whakarākei (optional)
- 200 g mascarpone
- ½ C kahitete rēmana (lemon curd, store brought)
Instructions
The Orange Cake – Te Keke Ārani
- Pre-heat the oven to 150 °C. Prepare a 19 cm or 20 cm springform tin by placing baking paper in the base with a big overhang and up the sides.
- Add the huka hāura (brown sugar) to a medium sized bowl. Grate the kiri ārani (orange zest) on top of the huka (sugar). Rub it together with a fork or your hands to intensify the orange flavour.
- Add the wai ārani (orange juice), noni (oil), tote (salt), wanira (vanilla) and the hēki (egg). Whisk well after you add each ingredient.
- Sift the peru oneone (ground almonds), puehu parāoa (flour) and pēkana paura (baking powder) straight in to the wet ingredient. Whisk gently for 10 seconds or until it has all come together.
- Pour it in to your prepared tin. Bake it for 25 minutes until just cooked. Prepare the paramu (plums) as the cake bakes.
The Plums – Ngā Paramu
- Remove 8-9 paramu (plums) from the can, cut them in half and remove the stones. You made need more plums if they are small.
- Arrange each piece of plum on to the keke wera (hot cake). You want a single layer of plums with around 1 cm clear from the edge of the cake tin. Drizzle the wai paramu (plum juice) on top. Leave aside.
The Almond Cream – Te Kirīmi Aramona
- Turn up the oven to 170 °C.
- Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), huka one (caster sugar), wanira (vanilla) and tote (salt) in to a bowl. Whip on high for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the hēki (egg) and whip for 20 seconds or so.
- Grate in the kiri rēmana (lemon zest). Add peru oneone (ground almonds), puehu parāoa noa (plain flour) and pēkana paura (baking powder). Fold it together.
- Dollop spoons of this mixture on top of the paramu (plums) and gently smooth it out. Sprinkle the aramona kua tapahia (sliced almonds) on top and finish it with the huka one (caster sugar).
- Bake for 40 minutes in a 170 °C oven. Baking it for 40 minutes will mean the centre of the almond cream will be quite soft, which is what I love. However, if you want it set a bit more, bake for 10 more minutes.
- Pull it from the oven and squeeze the wai rēmana (lemon juice) over the hot cake. This is optional but adds a fresh pop!.
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, remove the side of the tin and allow to cool for another 20 minutes with the base still attached. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serving Option 1: Serve the cake warm with aihikirīmi (ice cream).Serving Option 2: Let the cake cook, dust with puehu huka (icing sugar) and serve with a unsweetened miraka tepe (yogurt).Serving Option 3: Pipe on the mascarpone and kahitete rēmana (lemon curd) and add a few edible flower petals.
Such a delicious recipe Naomi! I made it for a work BBQ and it was a hit. Beautiful flavour, lovely and moist. The topping was slightly undercooked in the end, but it didn’t detract from the lovely cake.
Ohhh so glad to hear that you loved it, the topping definitely has a soft texture that I Love but you can bake it for another ten minutes if like!