Szilvás pite

Ingredients

• 8¾ ozflourplain, for the dough
• 5 ozButtercold, rubbed into the dough
• 2Eggone for the dough, one for the custard topping
• 2⅛ ozSugarfor dough and filling, depending on sweetness of the plums
• 1 pinchsaltfor the dough
• 1½ lbPlumspitted, halved or quartered; fresh or drained from preserve
• 1 tspcinnamonground, mixed with the plums
• ½ ozVanilla sugartwo sachets, for filling or topping
• 1 tspvanilla extractfor flavouring
• 1 tbspwateronly if the dough is too dry (optional)
• ¾ cupCreamwhisked with egg and vanilla sugar as a topping (optional)
• 1⅓ ozVanilla pudding powderone sachet, to thicken the plum filling (optional)
• 1 ozAlmondsdry-toasted, for sprinkling (optional)
• ⅓ ozpowdered sugarfor dusting before serving (optional)
• 1⅓ ozRaisinspuréed, as sugar-free sweetening in the dough (optional)

Method

1. Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like even, sandy crumbs.
2. Add one egg, the sugar and a pinch of salt, and knead quickly into a ball of dough; if it feels too dry, work in a tablespoon of water. Cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pit the plums and cut them into halves or quarters; if you're using preserved plums, let them drain well. Toss the fruit with cinnamon and sugar, along with the vanilla sugar and vanilla extract.
4. Grease a pie dish. Roll the dough out to about half a centimetre thick, line the dish including the sides, and keep a piece back for crumbling on top. Prick the base all over with a fork.
5. Spread the plums evenly over the base and scatter the reserved dough over them in crumbs.
6. Bake at 180 to 375 °F for around 40 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
7. Let the cake cool completely before cutting it in the dish — while warm, the short base simply falls apart. Dust with icing sugar before serving and scatter over dry-toasted flaked almonds if you like.

Tips and variations

For a thicker filling, simmer the plums with cinnamon, sugar and vanilla, thicken with vanilla pudding powder stirred with a little liquid, crumble the leftover dough over the top and finish with toasted flaked almonds and icing sugar. For a creamier version, pre-bake the base with the plums for 15 to 20 minutes, pour over a custard of cream, egg and vanilla sugar, and bake for another 20 minutes. Instead of shortcrust you can use a pourable cup-measure batter of flour, sugar, oil, eggs, sour cream, lemon zest and baking powder, with the halved plums set on top and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Sugar-free: sweeten the dough with puréed raisins, blind-bake the base for 10 minutes, spread mashed banana as a fruit layer and season the plums with cinnamon, cardamom and clove. Other fruit works just as well. Serve in slices straight from the dish, well cooled and freshly dusted.