Late Summer Plum Cake
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Gently spiced, this jammy plum cake celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Serve it for brunch or dessert.
Taking a cue from Martha Stewart’s fresh strawberry cake (a favorite on this site), this plum cake is the perfect dessert for late summer when plums are at their prime. Tucked into the batter, the fruit bakes into rich, jammy pockets, while warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom add a hint of cozy fall flavors. Enjoy this dessert any time of day—plain and simple with a cup of coffee, or topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
“A wonderful cake! The spices really make it stand out and the plums cut through to make the whole thing sing!”
What you’ll need to make Plum Cake
- Flour, baking powder, and salt – Your dry base to give the cake structure.
- Warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom) – Just enough to give the cake a cozy, fall-like flavor.
- Butter and sugar – Creamed together until light and fluffy for that tender crumb. A little sugar is also sprinkled over the top so the cake gets a caramelized finish.
- Egg and vanilla – Bind the batter and add depth of flavor.
- Milk – Any kind you have on hand works here; low-fat is fine.
- Plums – Ripe but firm, pitted and quartered so they bake into jammy little pockets.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt together. Set the mixture aside.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy—it should take a few minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg and vanilla. Beat on low speed until evenly combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients and milk. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth.
Step 5: Transfer the batter to the pan. Scrape the batter into a greased springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. As you can see, the batter is quite thick.
Step 6: Top with plums. Arrange the sliced plums on top of the batter, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they cover most of the cake. Then sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.
Step 7: Bake. Bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes, until golden on top and set in the center.
Step 8: Cool and serve. Once the cake comes out of the oven, run a knife around the edges and release the springform side (leave the base in place). Let it cool completely on a rack, then slice and enjoy.
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Late Summer Plum Cake
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
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (any kind)
- 1 lb plums, pitted and quartered
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-in (23-cm) springform pan. (Alternatively, the cake may be made in a 9-in/23-cm 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 (200 g) 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. The cake keeps well, loosely covered at room temperature, for several days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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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Do you have a suggestion for how to adjust baking time if using multiple 4 inch springform pans instead of 9 inch. Would you cut the baking time in half?
Hi L, I’m concerned that with the smaller pans and reduced baking time, that the plums wouldn’t have enough time to cook/soften up. Sorry!
ok thank you.
An amazing cake! So simple and so tasty
The only problem is that the cake vanished so quickly
Don’t make a mistake and bake this recipe! I did and we 3 finished the whole cake in one go! Irresistible!
I just baked this as directed, only using a bit less sugar. I used prune plums. Oh my!
It’s sitting on the cooling rack with 2 pieces missing.
This is an amazing cake, tender and perfectly spiced. I’m going to make it again tomorrow for a friends birthday!
It’s a wonderful recipe! Love the spices in it and it was nice and moist!
I will make it again since my whole family thought it was awesome!
My son doesn’t usually cook or bake, but he wanted to make my birthday cake yesterday so I found this recipe for him. He found it very easy to follow, and the cake turned out delicious! I just had another piece for breakfast with coffee–perfect!
Everyone loved the juxtaposition of the tart and juicy plums with the flavorful cake, and commented that they would have it again any time.
Thanks for sharing!
This is a simple and lovely recipe that has wonderfully balanced flavours. It marries the joys together of late summer and early autumn.
JENN!! I just made this cake this morning and am having my 2nd piece with a lovely cup of tea! I grew up with 2 plum trees and miss my Mom’s and Baba’s plum cakes. So when I saw a 4 pd box of purple Italian plums at Costco last week, I was on a mission. Your recipe did not disappoint! This cake very easy to put together and I love the rustic look. I cut the sugar to 3/4 and replaced 1/2 cup flour with almond meal, and sprinkled the top with turbinado sugar. BaDaBOOM! This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made and will be my go-to from now on. The spices give it such a delicate boost of flavour too. I will surely be making this again; no really, I’ve got less than 3 pounds of plums left since munching on them while slicing! Another great recipe by you!
Janet
PS: can I slice up the rest of the plums and freeze them? I’d love to make this for our Canadian Thanksgiving Oct. 12th.
So glad you enjoyed this, Janet!! Yes, you can definitely slice and freeze any remaining plums. 🙂
Everyone loved this cake. It was perfect! I substituted ground cloves for the cardamom b/c I didn’t want to go to the store. I will be making this again very soon.
Delicious, thank you..
I replaced Cardamom with Ginger powder..
Love your recipes..
Lemon pound cake was also delicious so was burger recipe..
By the way, I live in Istanbul and am in my late seventies..
Thanks 😊
Hello Jenn, this was a very nice recipe and easy to put together and bake. it smelled wonderful while baking. I chose peaches as a topping and can send a picture if you like but I am not sure how to attach it.
So glad you liked it! Unfortunately, the blog isn’t set up to receive pictures but if you’re on Instagram, you can share it there; be sure to tag me @onceuponachef! 🙂
Dear Jenn,
Plum Cake is delicious, thank you for the recipe. I used ginger instead of cardamom.
What a lovely, warm, sweet, yet tart cake! I made homemade vanilla whipped cream to go with it. My husband said it’s the best one he’s ever eaten, however, he seems to say that about any recipe I make from your site, Jenn! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes! I can’t wait for your next cookbook to come out 🙂