Plum and hazelnut upside-down cake

Make a toffee by stirring sugar in water over heat until dissolved, then bring to a slow boil. Don't stir again but watch closely as the mixture boils, thickens and starts to color. (This will take about 15 minutes.) When it is golden, pour into a greased (or non-stick) 20cm cake tin.

As the toffee cools, arrange the fresh plums, cut side down, to cover the base. Make sure they are snug, but not squashed. A bigger cake tin will require more plums.

Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, then fold in the dry ingredients.

Spoon mixture over toffee-plum base and bake at 190C for about

45 minutes, until firm and springy in the centre. Cool for a few minutes in the tin, then run a knife around the edge. Using the plate you want to serve the cake on, upturn the cake and coax any wayward fruit back into place. Leave the tin on top and tie up plate, cake and tin in a clean tea towel to travel to the picnic.