Late Summer Plum Cake
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Gently spiced, this jammy plum cake celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Serve it as a brunch cake or for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
One of the most popular (and easiest) dessert recipes on this site is Martha Stewart’s lovely fresh strawberry cake. In this variation, I replace the strawberries with fresh plums, and it works beautifully. Quartered and nestled into the batter, the plums soften into jammy, mulberry-colored pockets as they bake. I also add warm spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, to complement the fruit and celebrate the summer-into-fall season. This cake can be served any time of day, plain or topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
What you’ll need to make Plum Cake
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by whisking the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt together in a large bowl.
Next, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth.
Transfer the batter to a greased Springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Note that the batter is quite thick.
Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they cover most of the batter.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center.
When the cake is hot out of the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan and then remove the springform edge (leave the base in place). Let the cake cool on a rack completely.
Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
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- Summer Strawberry Cake
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Late Summer Plum Cake
Gently spiced, this jammy plum cake celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Serve it as a brunch cake or for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (low-fat is fine)
- 1 pound plums, pitted and quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. (Alternatively, the cake may be made in a 9-inch cake pan or pie pan and served directly from the pan.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth. (Note: the batter will be quite thick.)
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they mostly cover the batter. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.
- Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center.
- When the cake is hot out of the oven, run a knife around the edges of the pan and then remove the springform edge, leaving the base in place (if using a springform pan). Let the cake cool on a rack completely. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
- Note: This cake keeps well, loosely covered at room temperature, for several days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 344
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Sugar: 35g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 231mg
- Cholesterol: 55mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made the recipe as directed, except that I substituted all-purpose for white whole-wheat flour (1:1 ratio). The result was delightful. I’m enjoying my first slice now with an afternoon cup of tea.
Was this made in a fan oven or conventional? If fan forced what temperatures do you recommend?
Thank you
Hi Colleen, I use the regular (non-fan) setting for all of my recipes. If you plan to use convection, I’d decrease the oven temp by 25 degrees. Hope you enjoy!
This cake was really good! With my chooks not laying many eggs at the moment and an abundance of plums this recipe was a perfectly matched for me. My husband really enjoyed it and I loved the tartness of the plums balanced against the sweetness of the cake. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks.
Hi Jenn,
Can I use frozen cherries instead of plums? Thanks
Sure – the cherries may be a bit sweeter than plums so you might want to cut back the sugar by a tablespoon or two. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
I made this according to the recipe using plums and it was good. Convection baked at 325° for 62 minutes. The second time I used blueberries, doubled the spices, and reduced sugar topping to 1 tablespoon. Perfection.
This cake was absolutely delicious, more savory, less sweet! I used a half cup granulated sugar, half cup monkfruit sweetener inside the batter and granulated sugar on top. Makes a small cake, perfect for six, can stretch it with vanilla bean or other neutral ice cream. Will be making this one again soon, maybe even trying different fruit although the plums were gorgeous, thank you! (I used the small Italian plums).
I also made it with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener. It turned out great, as usual. I’ve made this cake numerous times as directed. I thought would try it less sweet this time. It was still sweet enough! Thanks Jenn!
Very easy recipe and plums were in season. Got the big plums. Just right and was delicious the first time I made it so this is my second time. I love the taste of this cake. Thank You.
Best plumcake ever! Easy to make. Even if I had to change to metric, as I live in Sweden.
Lovely. First time I made exactly as written. Then I adapted to use with my home ec class. I halved the recipe except used the original amount of nutmeg and double the amount of cardamom. Each group made in 3 mini spring form pans. This also allowed a shorter cooking time. They were super cute and very tasty. I used prune plums off my backyard tree. Thanks for a great recipe!
Jen, can I use gluten free flour??? I am guessing yes.
Hi Kate, I think it should be fine. I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Very, very good. My oven runs on the hot side so I baked mine for 55 minutes. I thought I would bake it a little less the next time I make it but my husband says it’s perfect!
Do you think this would work with figs?
So glad you like this, Tish! Yes, I do think it would work with figs.
I made this yesterday and took along to a group. It was well-loved! And I really enjoyed it too! I used Greek yogurt with a bit of water, instead of the milk. What a delightful cake! Thank you!
I absolutely love the flavours in this cake, however, mine didn’t rise as much as expected and had a bit of a biscuity texture rather than moist. I think I went wrong using self raising flour instead of all purpose.
Yes, for the best results, I’d use all-purpose flour. Hope you enjoy it more next time around. 🙂
I made this cake at 5000ft altitude after buying some plums at the local farmers’ market, which ripened too quickly. I made the cake by hand (no cake mixer) and scattered a handful of toasted walnuts over the cake batter before topping with my very mushy plums. I adjusted the recipe for altitude as described elsewhere on this site. The cake was just superb, delicious!! Thank you for your wonderful, never fail recipes!
Best cake ever. I can’t get enough of it. At 3 a.m. this morning I finally gave in. I baked it early evening so I thought I would wait but at 3 here I sat enjoying this delicious cake. I’m out of plums but there are apples so the next one will have apples. Every recipe I’ve made from this site has been delicious. Thank you!
This cake turned out perfect. The smell as it was baking was divine. I bought a basket of blue plums and am going to make two more cakes to give to family. Excellent with a cup of tea.
I have yet to pick a Once Upon A Chef recipe that hasn’t turned out delicious.