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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This is legitimately my favorite cake ever. I could eat it every day. I tried using apples instead of plums, which also is AMAZING.
I really enjoyed making this cake with our summer harvested plums I had pitted and flung in the freezer. Cake batter was nicely spiced and perfectly moist with yummy crisp caramelization on the edges where the delicious sugared plum juice oozed out. I topped it with whipped cream and my family loved it. A delightful dessert any time of year!!!
I very rarely write reviews, and almost forgot that I made this in the summer. But I saved it on my phone, along with the picture. I am not a big fan of plums, but I do like fruit in cakes and other desserts so I figured I would give this a try. I followed the recipe and it came out exactly as the recipe described. Everyone that tried it enjoyed it very much.Jenn is a master at allowing home cooks and bakers the necessary instructions to make delicious meals and baked goods, turn out looking like a professional job! This plum cake is good warm or cold, but especially served with vanilla ice cream on the side. The plums are soft and sweet and complement the cake perfectly. I absolutely loved this! Can’t wait till summer!
Hi! I made this for the first time today and it came out really well. The cake was darker than I thought it would be, maybe from cinnamon? The flavor was fantastic and was super easy to make. I do believe this is my new favorite dessert. Super yummy. Can’t wait to make more recipes on this website. Thank you Jenn, great mix of recipes!
This is a really great recipe that comes together easily,and better than Martha Stewart’s! You won’t be disappointed.
I love this plum cake. It’s summer in every bite. I can’t wait to make it again.
Dear Jenn,
I have tried many of your recipes and have great success with my husband and guests. I have made this plum cake many times and also with apples, pears and peaches. They all work in you recipe. I love most of them. I would like to see ingredients in weight also so I can measure the ingredients better. Like sticks of butter… I don’t have them so it would be good to know the grams. Thank you.
This cake is perfect for summer/fall but I also brought it into winter because it’s so good with the spices! makes your entire house smell amazing too which is great for when guests walk through the door! Never have tried any sort of cake like this but was really really happy with how it turned out. Make sure to top with ice cream or whipping cream and you really get the perfect bite!
This is a different use for plums and is absolutely delicious. Every recipe I have tried of Jenn’s so far have all been very good.
Lovely cake…definitely make it again. Thank you
Absolutely delicious cake and so moist. Will definitely be making this many more times. Thanks for the recipe