Plum Skillet Cake

Serves 16 / A fancy-looking, dairy-free dessert that’s easy to make. This cake tastes even better after it cools completely, and it’s delicious topped with vanilla ice cream.

1 tablespoon refined walnut oil
12-15 plums (about 1 1/2 pounds), thinly sliced
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup refined walnut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Warm an ovenproof, 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon walnut oil and sliced plums. Sauté until color begins to change, about 10 minutes. Add rice syrup; cook for 3 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk 1/2 cup walnut oil, maple syrup, and sugar until emulsified. Add water and continue beating until well-mixed. Add egg and vanilla extract; mix well.
4. Combine flour with sea salt, baking powder, and chopped walnuts; stir into liquid mixture to make a batter.
5. Pour batter over plums in the skillet. (Do not let batter go to the top edges of the pan.) Transfer to oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife and invert cake onto a serving plate. Cool completely.

Recipe provided by Joanne Saltzman, author of Intuitive Cooking (Book Publishing Company, 2006) and founder of the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado (www.naturalcookery.com).

PER SERVING: 261 cal, 46% fat cal, 14g fat, 2g sat fat, 13mg chol, 3g protein, 33g carb, 3g fiber, 58mg sodium