Plum Walnut Skillet Cake

1. Stage

Preheat the oven; Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously butter a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with a heatproof handle or a 9-inch cake pan. Halve, pit, and thinly slice the plums.

2. Stage

Grind the walnuts: In a food processor or a nut mill, very finely chop the walnuts. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Stage

Make the batter: Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of the food processor and process until creamy, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, and process after each addition, until fluffy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt, and pulse just until the batter is smooth. Finally, add the ground walnuts and pulse to mix them into the batter. The batter will be thick.

4. Stage

Assemble the cake: Scrape the batter into the skillet and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Lay slices of plums in a ring around the outside edge of the pan, overlapping the slices slightly. Arrange a second ring of slices inside the first, and then fill in the very middle of the cake with the remaining slices. Sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.

5. Stage

Bake the cake: Begin checking the cake around 35 minutes, and continue baking (checking every 5 to 10 minutes) until the top is browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Total cooking time is typically 40 to 50 minutes. Set the skillet on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

6. Stage

Brush with honey (optional): The cake is sweet enough as it is, but if you want to add a little shine for an even more beautiful presentation, heat the honey in the microwave for 10 seconds and brush the cake with it.

7. Stage

Serve: Serve straight from the skillet.