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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I am seeing now that you did post a link to your blueberry muffins as well and suggest a swap. Might I just add the ratio of spices from this recipe to that one?
Sure, that should work. Please LMK how they turn out!
This cake was absolutely FANTASTIC!! I made it a few days ahead of an 18-mile hike I did with friends where we often tailgate once done. I knew this would be a nice treat after all that hard work and indeed it was. I never had the chance to taste-test after making it for the 1st time, only doing so at last weekend’s tailgate and WOW was I impressed! This cake got rave reviews from fellow hikers to the point it made it into pictures of the event itself! I paired it with store-bought whipped cream just to keep things simple in the cooler of food I’d brought for the tailgate. I managed to keep a decent sized slice for my Mother to try while suggesting she share it with my BF who was stopping by next day – to which she promptly said (after taking her first bite) – “No, he will have to wait”. 😄 I followed the recipe TO. THE. LETTER. and it came out **SERIOUSLY OUTSTANDING**!
What brand of 9″ spring form pan do you use. FYI I also was dropped from your weekly email posts. Thanks so much
Hi Sandy, I use Nordic Ware. And sorry that you’re not receiving the newsletter! I will look into it on my end and have you re-added to the list.
Thanks Jenn
Can this be made with gluten free flour or almond flour?
Hi Suzanne, I think this would work fine with gluten-free flour but would avoid almond flour. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Great recipe although the baking time is way too long I took mine out at 45 mins and thought it was over done. I would recommend baking for 35-40 mins instead.
This is an absolutely delicious cake! I made it as written but used less sugar. My plums were overripe and harder to slice and some had so much juice I poured it on top of the batter before baking. The flavor was amazing! I bought more plums just to make this again! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this and it is wonderful! I used the plums that were the least ripe, so there’d be a tart factor and “oh yum”…
I think I’ll try it with rhubarb next!
Thanks!
Tasted amazing! Light and not too sweet, the plums add a great tartness! Would love to add whipped cream or ice cream next time I make this! 🙂
I made this for my grandson who loves plums. It is his favorite cake. I love it too.
Hi Jen,
Would peaches work in place of plums?
Diane
Sure, I think they would. I also have this peach cake you may want to consider. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!