This is a fantastic and simple cake, with a beautifully moist and dense crumb and a caramel tone from the brown sugar. It's topped with sweet, juicy plums that soften just enough to make it irresistible. I used to make it in a loaf pan, but realized that a shorter, round cake allowed for more fruit and a better crumb-to-plum ratio. It turned out to be a winner.
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Sweet and simple
I found plums in the fridge, so it was time to update this beautiful plum cake I've been making for years now. It's a plain cake with juicy plums, more in line with this cherry cake, but very different from this very popular honey almond plum cake.
It started as a loaf cake, but I found that a round, shorter cake bakes better, and you get more plums because it allows for more wedges on top. A good thing for sure.
I made it today with oil, but I sometimes use half butter. They are both excellent, and it depends on whether you want a quicker mix with oil or insist on some of that butter flavor.
I serve it at room temperature with a dusting of powdered sugar, especially for afternoon tea, but top it with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and it might be a perfect dessert for plum lovers.
Plums work very well with this sweet cake batter because they have a good acid level, but it's a great recipe to use with other stone fruit: peaches, nectarines, apricots and even cherries.
Testing notes
Type of plum to use: I like the classic black or Santa Rosa plums, but really any type you like to eat works for this cake, especially if it's plum season and you go to the farmers market. Italian plums and Japanese plums are also popular. The sweetness varies, and that impacts the overall flavor.
Loaf pan: You can use a large loaf pan, and you will have a taller cake with less fruit on top.
Flavorings: besides the orange zest used, plums pair well with cinnamon, cardamom, and almond, so you can add a large pinch of one of the spices and some pure almond extract. Also, tangerine zest if you don't have oranges. Or no orange zest and use more spice. Some people use lemon zest, and I find it great if the fruit is sweet.
Storing: this cake keeps well for several days in the fridge, well wrapped, and can be frozen up to a month. Keep in mind that frozen fruit never comes back to its original state. But it still works.
Gluten-free plum cake: check out this recipe for plum yogurt gluten-free cake.
Ingredients
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
- Plums: This is a cake made with fresh plums, so use your favorite kind. I like red ones, because they are easily available and juicy.
- Oil. You want to use a neutral one, like sunflower, so it doesn't overpower the other flavors. Alternatively, you can use half the amount of butter.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
Steps to make a fresh plum cake
I use a round springform pan, so it's easier to remove without disturbing the plums. But you can use a square brownie pan or two medium loaves, dividing the batter and the plums evenly.
Vanilla cake batter: It's pretty straightforward and simple, especially if you use oil.
Plum pattern: do whatever you want when arranging the plum pieces. I like a circle because it looks pretty, but it doesn't affect flavor, of course.
Skin or no skin? I usually leave it on.
Wedges or halved plums? They both work. If using halves, place them skin-side up over the cake batter. I like wedges because they're simpler to bite into, being smaller.
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Fresh Plum Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sunflower oil, or another neutral one (If you want to use half oil and half butter, see Notes, below)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 7 or 8 red plums, or purple, halved, pitted, and cut into wedges
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, for sprinkling before baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Butter or spray a round 8-inch cake pan (22cm).
- Working a hand mixer (or stand mixer) in a large bowl, beat 2 eggs adding ¼ cup white sugar and ½ cup packed brown sugar gradually and beating for another 2 minutes, until thick and lighter in color.
- Add ½ cup sunflower oil in a thin stream, beating for a minute or two, until it thickens.
- Add 1 teaspoon orange zest and 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract and mix well.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low speed and add the sifted dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking powder) in 2 parts, mixing only until they are incorporated. You can sift them directly over the oil batter or sift them in a different bowl and then add.
- Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
- Arrange 7 or 8 red plums cut in wedges in a circle, or however you want. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar on top.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until top is brown and puffed around the plums that are juicy and wrinkled, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Ovens are all different so it might take a little more or a little less time to fully bake.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and remove the cake.
- Serve at room temperature, plain with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Video
Notes
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan
C.J. says
This came out dry?? I used a 9" buttered square pan so as said I needed to reduce and check the cake at 35 not 45 minutes . I checked it at 25 and took it out. I also reduced the temp to 345 degrees also. I found the cake very dense and not moist at all. I did also follow all the other directions to a tee. I don't know why it was dry but I did want to leave my honest review,
Paula Montenegro says
Hi C.J., I sent you an email.
Andrea Haugh says
Want to try tonight but only have 9 inch pan and one 8 inch square pan. Do I have to buy a 8 inch round pan….?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Andrea, absolutely not! Use the 8 inch square one. If you use the 9 inch the cake will be shorter and the baking time a little less, so check 10 minutes before the time specified.
angiesrecipes says
Tender with perfect moist and so fruity with gorgeous purple plums! I would definitely go for a 2nd piece 🙂
Xena says
I know this post is from February but I just saw this and love the picture. I had tasted my friend's plum cake and really liked it. Since then I'm always looking for good plum cake recipes.