This is a dense and rustic plum cake. Ground almonds give it texture, honey adds sweetness, and the sourness of the fresh plums balances all. Don't expect a spongy cake with some fruit. Every flavor in this recipe owns its place.
A dense plum cake with honey and almonds
I think plums get all the credit for making the best-looking rustic cakes ever.
Plums, especially red ones, can be too sour or mushy, making them the perfect ingredient for adding to a pie or cake.
This almond plum cake is dense, moist, and full of flavor. Don't expect an airy, spongy crumb. This recipe is very different from the classic vanilla cake with plums.
Tips to make honey plum cake
Core the plums
The best and easiest way to pit plums is with an apple corer. The core comes off impeccably without much flesh attached.
Plum wedges
I like to cut wedges that will fit in a bite. So I cut each half plum into 3 or 4 pieces.
I like to make a circle and fill the center with extra wedges. The way the plums are arranged is irrelevant when it comes to flavor, but a pretty cake is always more enticing.
Kitchen Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, utensils and equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Plums: I love red plums, but any type you like will work. Use firm ones, not soft overripen ones as they don't cut well or hold their shape.
- Honey: this is an important part. Don't be tempted to add more honey. The cake will take ages to bake completely, if ever. Learn from my experience. Any type of honey works, but runny is always easier to mix.
- Pan size: it is very important to use the pan specified in the recipe because otherwise, it might not bake properly. You can use a slightly larger pan (the cake will be shorter) but never smaller.
- Storing: the cake keeps for a few days well, at room temperature. I find that refrigerating it dries it up too much for my taste. And it's not the ideal cake to freeze. You can of course, but I wouldn't recommend it highly. I like to eat it the day it is baked, two days at the most.
- Variations: this is a superb cake with other stone fruit - peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries.
Serving it
I made this one in a round cake pan with a removable bottom.
But bake it in a square pan (brownie pan) if you're taking this unique cake to a picnic, barbecue or potluck. Squares are always easier to cut and eat.
I like to serve it as a dessert with a scoop of ice cream. Slightly warm the cake before adding the ice cream, and wait for the oohs and aahs.
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Plum Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons runny honey
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup ground almonds, or almond flour
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3-4 red plums, stoned and each half in fourths
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180°C).
- Line and butter an 8-inch round with a removable bottom (springform pan) or square cake pan lined with parchment paper.
- Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large bowl.
- Add ⅔ cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons runny honey. Mix well with an electric mixer.
- Add 1 egg, ½ teaspoon almond extract,1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Mix well until creamy.
- Add ¾ cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup ground almonds (or almond flour) in 2 or 3 parts, mixing well, but not too much.
- Spread the almond cake batter in the prepared pan and arrange 3-4 red plums on top.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes almost clean (this is a very moist cake so it will not be completely dry).
- Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Sharl Heller says
Easy to make and delicious.
Lyuda says
I made this as written, and it was great (quite dense and more flavorful when cold, as others have mentioned). Since then, I've made it almost a dozen more times with the following modifications:
- substitute olive oil for butter (personal health preference)
- substitute molasses for honey
- add cinnamon and cloves (to balance the molasses and oil)
- omit almond extract
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Lyuda, I love the idea of some molasses and spices, sort of a gingerbread plum cake!
Jess says
The recipe does not say what to do with the butter.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jess, you melt it and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.
Mel says
Delightful, moist, sweet and hitting all the right notes. Highly recommend when plums in season
Mimi says
I am reluctant to use honey as it is often said that heated honey becomes toxic
George Wetz says
Looks so delicious, but could I substitute all purpose flour instead of flour
Shown in your recipe??
George
Paula Montenegro says
Hi George, yes you can.
Evy. says
Delicious!
I used Italian plums from my garden, the tartness perfectly balance the richness of the base. The texture of the cake is dense and slightly gooey almost like amaretti cookies.
I had vanilla infused rhum that I used instead of the vanilla extract and that gave it an extra kick.
Decorated with powdered sugar and tiny white flowers made it feel so fancy. Cottagecore, one might call it haha
It was a hit and I’ve made it several times this month -plum season. Can’t wait to try it with pears next.
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Evy, I love that you made it several times. Thanks for the feedback. I love the 'almost like amaretti comparison'—it's true!
Debbie Kivrak says
Hi Natasha
My cake is a complete disaster,took 50 mins to cook and was very dark.
I'm a trained cook and was very disappointed. The plums sunk.
Paula says
I was hesitant to make this because the method is unconventional (melting butter vs whipping it with sugar for instance). I panicked when I saw how little batter there was so I switched to a 7" pan and even with a smaller pan the cake barely rose and was more like a big pancake. The taste & texture were similar to other reviewers: fudgy and almond-y. I think this recipe has potential but I would play around with the method and ingredients to get it to be more "cake-like". Taste was good.
JL says
A keeper! Agreed with a previous comment of not being sure when it went into the oven, and even after it came out. But boy, the magic happened after it cooled down. Moist and chewy and full of complex flavors and textures from the honey, ground almonds, vanilla and plums and whole wheat flour. Tastes like it came from a very expensive bakery. The cake remained moist and tasted great even the next day.
Paula Montenegro says
So happy to hear this JL! And you explained it so well. Thanks for taking the time to do so. Have a great week!
Dhruv says
I made this cake yesterday. I was a bit unsure when I put the dough in the oven since it looked quite thick in consistency, and not as much in quantity. The cake rose enough, and was yummy! The brown sugar, honey and almond flour bring out a lovely taste. Will definitely make it again.
Paula Montenegro says
Yes, completely agree that it is a dense cake, but with great flavors. Happy to hear it turned out well Dhruv! Have a great week.
aruna says
how much butter is it in weight, hard to measure in tbsps. I find
thanks
Paula Montenegro says
It's 85g Aruna
malcolm trachtenberg says
I used Hazelnut meal instead, since that's what I had, and it was delicious except almost fudgy..didn't rise at all..took an hr ...so I tried it using baking soda instead since I read that many of the ingredients are acidic and needed to raise the ph....doubled in size and wasn't so dense...so my question is did you intend to write bs instead of bp?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Malcolm, the recipe uses baking powder, but maybe using baking soda is the best option. I like it dense, but will try your version and see how it goes. Thanks for the comment!
Nataliya says
Hands down, the best plum cake ever! Almond flavor pairs so well with plums. The recipe is easy to follow and the results are scrumptious! Yum-yum!
Paula Montenegro says
So happy you liked it Nataliya!
Maia says
This is sooooooo delicious!!! Just made double the recipe and gave one to my neighbors and kept one for my family. We just finished the whole thing in one sitting...we each had two big slices. Such a great recipe. Thank you!!
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks YOU for the comment Maia!
Wendy A. says
Very delicious plum cake! I made mine gluten free with all almond flour, and I didn’t have almond extract so I used rum extract, and it was divine!
Paula Montenegro says
Great to know it works with all almond flour!
Bobo says
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I brought some of this cake in a sailing trip and it was gone in literally under 30 seconds. I made it completely gluten free by substituting the wheat flour with Cup4Cuo flour. Outstanding.
Paula Montenegro says
So glad you liked it! And great tip about the gf substitution.
Prachi agrawal says
Hey please share the replacement of egg
Neha says
Oh my! Looks so tempting! I love almond cake but never paired it with plums. Trying it soon!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
This looks fantastic! Gorgeous colour and flavour, Paula.
David says
My favorite flavors! This is what I call a "single serving cake," because I could eat the entire thing in one sitting.
Paula Montenegro says
jaja, it happens to me too David!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I love almond cakes as well as plum cakes so I know that I will enjoy this recipe immensely. It will be one of the first desserts I make once I achieve my weight loss goal...it will be my reward. 😀
Paula Montenegro says
I love the combo too Karen! Reward yourself, by all means, jaja!