Plum Cake

Ingredients

• 600g strong flour
• 500g caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pods split and scraped, seeds only bean reserved for ice cream or anglaise OR 10g finely grated lemon rind
• 375g cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
• 1.5kg caster sugar
• 1kg filtered water
• 1 15cm vanilla bean split and scraped or 30g p/w ginger and 1 cinnamon stick or two star whole anise [approximately 10g]
• 225 full cream milk
• 15g dry yeast
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 whole eggs, 1 egg yolk …room temperature
• 550g bakers flour + couple of tablespoons for the tins
• 2g fine salt
• 155g unsalted butter, melted but cool + 30g very soft unsalted butter for the tins