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.
Plums get all the credit for making the best-looking rustic cakes ever, don't they? And also tarts, let's not forget the all-time favorite crumble plum tart.
End of summer stone fruit always makes me rush into the kitchen for those last recipes with peaches and plums.
Plums, especially red ones, can be too sour or mushy, making them the perfect ingredient for lifting up a pie or cake.
A great example is this almond plum cake, which is dense, moist, and full of flavor. Very different from the classic vanilla cake with plums.
Prepare the plums
I mention this gadget every time I use plums in a recipe. The best and easiest way to pit plums is with an apple corer.
In the image below, left, you can see how the core comes off impeccably without much flesh attached if you use an apple corer. The plum is easily pitted, but not much harm is done to the fruit.
Have you ever tried to make a cut and open the plum in half by holding each side with your hands and moving in opposite directions? Not pretty. Most of the time part of the plums get crushed.
Cutting the fruit
I like to cut wedges that would fit in a bite. So I cut each half plum into 3 or 4 pieces.
That way, it's easier to eat at a picnic or summer gathering, even with your hands.
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 a good idea, it's more enticing.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. Use a thermometer inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that the temperature is right. I recommend you keep 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.
- Keeping: 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
Make it in a square pan since this is a unique cake for a picnic, barbecue or potluck.
Square is 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.
Related recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Almond Plum Cake
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.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (85g) butter
- â…” cup (135g) fine muscovado or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons runny honey
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup (95g) ground almonds, or almond flour
- ¾ cup (70g) superfine whole wheat flour
- 3-4 red plums (stoned and each half in fourths)
- Powdered sugar (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
- Line or butter an 8-inch round with removable bottom or square cake pan lined with parchment paper.
- Melt butter in a large bowl.
- Add sugar and honey. Mix well with a hand beater.
- Add egg, extracts, salt and baking powder. Mix well until creamy.
- Add flours in 2 or 3 parts, mixing well, but not too much.
- Pour into the prepared pan and arrange plum pieces on top.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until a tester comes almost dry (this is a very moist cake so it will not be completely dry).
- Let cool completely on wire rack.
- Sprinkle powdered sugar on top (not too much) and serve.
Notes
- 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 and don't hold their shape as well.
- 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.
- Keeping: the cake keeps for a few days well, at room t°. 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.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: International
Nutrition
- Serving Size: â…›
- Calories: 276
- Sugar: 19.2 g
- Sodium: 87.2 mg
- Fat: 15.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.6 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 5.6 g
- Cholesterol: 46.1 mg
Keywords: plum cake, plum almond cake
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.
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!