Aug 27, 2015 I’ve lived here for 10 years now and British Columbia never ceases to amaze me with its jewel-toned beauty, at once wild and serene. If you’ve never been here, you must come visit. Galiano is the gulf island closest to Vancouver. There were seals frolicking against a backdrop of misty islands rising from the turquoise sea a hundred metres from our front door, and lovely pear and plum trees dripping with fruit right outside our window. There was even a pod of orcas visiting, although we didn’t have time to get out on the water. It’s a magical place. Theo was snacking on sun-warmed, ripe fruit he plucked straight from the branches. He relished the juicy plums with such enthusiasm (and adorable mess!) that when we got home, I bought a ton more at the farmers market. And made cake! I love the heady, floral aroma of cardamom – I use green pods, remove the seeds and smash/chop them with a chef’s knife to get the freshest flavour (there’s no comparison to the dusty pre-ground stuff you can buy). But if you’re not a big cardamom fan, just leave it out – the cake will still be delicious. I used Italian prune plums, and simply quartered them. I think they look beautiful scattered throughout and on top of the cake, and I appreciate the tart, juicy bite to counter rich sweetness of the cake. Don’t you find rustic desserts the most lovely? I just dusted it with confectioners sugar and served it like that. But a scoop of vanilla ice cream never made a cake taste worse.
