Dried Plum Cake

Place the plums in a red or white wine and let it sit for 30 minutes

Beat the butter with sugar, add flour and almonds, and then mix in the egg and enough cold water to form a soft dough

Knead well and refrigerate for 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to moderate temperature (190°)

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about 1/8 inch, and place it in an ungreased 9-inch springform pan

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden

Let it cool

Cook the plums over low heat, covered, until they are tender but not mushy

Remove the plums with a slotted spoon and let them cool

Mix the jam with wine to form a glaze

Heat it over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve

Make the pudding: scald the milk

Beat eggs in a separate bowl with sugar until thick and pale yellow

Add cornstarch and whisk until well combined

Add hot milk to egg mixture and mix well

Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until pudding thickens

Cook for an additional minute, remove from heat, and add vanilla extract

Let it cool completely

Fold in whipped heavy cream

Spread the pudding over the cake

Cut the plums on one side and remove the pits

Make the plum filling: mix ground almonds with sugar, then beat in 1-2 egg whites until frothy

Add enough to bind the mixture together

Fill the plums with the filling, spreading them evenly over the pudding

Glaze the plums with jam if needed, and serve.