Fresh Plum cake
This is a fantastic and easy cake, with a beautifully moist and dense crumb, with a caramel tone from the brown sugar. A layer of sweet juicy plums is on top that softens just enough to make it irresistible. You can make it with oil or half butter. It comes together quickly.
Servings 8 slices
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.
Notes
Oil and butter: you can use both instead of only oil. Use ¼ cup of oil and ¼ cup of butter, at room temperature. Beat soft butter with sugar for 2 minutes, add eggs, one at a time, and then oil in a stream, beating until you have a thick, satiny batter. Follow from step 5 in the recipe above.
Organization: always read the recipe before starting and make sure you have all the ingredients measured and at the right temperature, the right pan size, utensils, and enough counter space to work comfortably.
Loaf pan: You can use a large loaf pan, and the cake will be taller with less fruit on top.
Flavorings: 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, you can use no orange zest and more spice.
Storing: This cake keeps well for several days in the fridge, well wrapped, and can be frozen for up to a month. Keep in mind that frozen fruit never comes back to its original state, but it still works.
Fruit: 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 fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, apricots and even cherries.
