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.
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. Gently tucked into the batter, the plums turn into rich, jammy pockets as they bake. And a touch of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom give the cake a hint of cozy fall flavors. You can enjoy this dessert any time of day—plain and simple, or with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of 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.
You may also Like
- Fresh Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
- Summer Strawberry Cake
- Blueberry Coffee Cake (aka Boy Bait)
- Plum Galette
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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Jenn. I found your recipes a couple of years ago and have loved everything that I have made. I introduced my daughter to your sight this year. As we live on the same property we started eating dinner together in recent months. She and I have taken turns cooking and nearly every meal has featured one of your recipes. What a treat. We have all looked forward to dinner and have been blessed to have these good memories to look back on during this difficult time.
Thank you for all of your great recipes!!
When you say alternating between the flour and milk, how many times do I alternate?
Two to three times is perfect. Hope you enjoy!
Best stone fruit cake ever! I was pleasantly surprised how soft and fluffy the cake was and just love the sweet sugary top with the tart plums. Thank you so much for such a fabulous recipe!
This cake is SO good. I’m wondering what your thoughts are on using smaller springforms (4 or 6 inch) to make mini cakes? I’m thinking a smaller pan means less cook time and then the plums won’t have enough time to cook….
I think you may be right Laura, so I’d stick to the larger cake. Sorry!
OMG! Can I just say this is De-Lish! My go-to this summer has been Jenn’s Southern Peach Cobbler recipe, which is fabulous, but I was looking for something different and this did not disappoint. I used fresh peaches and black plums (2 ea) and sprinkled 2Tsp raw turbinado sugar on top. Baking time took about 70 minutes. The cardamom really makes it special so don’t leave it out! Enjoy!!
Jenn, I’ve tried so many of your recipes over the years and they’re always impressive and I’m never disappointed. This is another keeper! I’m so grateful to have confidence in your culinary successes. Please keep em’ coming!
Wow!!!! What a delicious cake! It also looks beautiful!!!
I baked it a little longer though…maybe 80 minutes. End result was delicate and moist. And the tartiness of the plums was amazing!
I’m wondering if (when plums are out of season) I could also use oranges and instead of vanilla use either Amaretto or Grand Marnier liquor (more of a winter taste)…
Thanks you!
Hi Claudia, I do think oranges and either liqueur would work. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it!
Great recipe. Easy to make and it was delicious!
Simple and delicious. I used an 8” springform pan as I did not have a 9”. Baked 12 mins longer. I also ground cardamom pods as I was out of ground. So fragrant and wonderful. A great way to use my plums.
I made this and it came out so good. The combination of sweet and tart and addition of the spices made this recipe spot on. It is a keeper! Thanks!
Absolutely delicious
The nutmeg and cardamom caught my eye in this recipe and it did not disappoint. I’ve been experimenting with flours this season, and so I used 1 cup spelt flour and 1/2 cup of an organic whole wheat flour (summit hard red) from a local grower and miller. Didn’t have milk so used whipping cream diluted with a bit of water, and the result was a moist yet light cake that enveloped the plums and wasn’t too sweet. It was easily one of the nicest cakes I’ve ever baked, and oh the cardamom. Used freshly grated nutmeg, and was wondering if one uses fresh nutmeg can you get away with using a wee bit more? Thank you for such a lovely cake recipe – easily one of the summer go-to recipes when fresh plums are bountiful.
So glad you liked this, Jean! Sure, I think you could up the fresh nutmeg a touch. 🙂
Tasted amazing; the perfect accompaniment to a roast dinner. Only problem was that my plums sank..anyone got any advice?
Hi Rosie, If you found they sunk, next time, I’d cut them into slightly smaller pieces. (Glad it tasted good though!)
Hi Jenn,
I’m a long time reader of your blog and I wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipes! I have your cook book too and just love everything I have made! I’ve made this recipe with strawberries before and it was delicious! I’m going to try it with peaches next and was wondering if I can make the batter ahead of time and chill it until I’m ready to bake it later in the day?
Thank you!
Hi Julie, You’re so welcome — happy to hear you like the recipes! 💓
Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the cake won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it.
Made this cake and loved the flavor. Mine rose beautifully then collapsed. Still tasted great but mine sure didn’t look like yours. What am I doing wrong?
I suspect it may have been just a bit underbaked. Next time leave it in the oven for just a couple minutes longer.
oh and is it a problem if the fruit isnt ripe? thanks again
Hi Michelle, I would wait until the fruit is at least a bit ripe. It will have a lot more flavor.
hi!! i love plums but want to add pear and make a pear and plum cake. does that sound like it could work?
thanks!
Sure, I think that would work – enjoy!
I’ve been enjoying so many of your recipes during the last few weeks! Can I substitute apples for plums? Would you adjust any of the spices? Thank you!
Glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I actually have a cake very similar to this one that uses apples. You can find it here. Hope you enjoy if you make it! 🙂
Just made this cake, came out AMAZING! I really liked the combination of plum/ cinnamon/cardamom flavours. I followed the recipe exactly, except for milk – I only had unsweetened coconut milk so that is what I used. Thank you Jen for another great recipe!
I tried this recipe today and it came out very good. It is very tasty. I plan to make it often for my family and friends. Thanks 🙏🏾
This recipe is a hit. I have made it lots of times and like to have one in the freezer. It only stays in the freezer if my family doesn’t know it is there, They all like it. It is so elegant to serve to friends.
Just wanted to tell you how much we all liked this cake! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I made it with Santa Rosa plums (dark skin, pink flesh) and will make it again when my blood plums are ripe 🙂
Hi Jenn,
Do you think this could work with tinned plums/peaches? They’re so out of season at the moment!
Thanks for your help 😊
Sure, Rosemary, I think that would work. Just make sure to drain them first — hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes. Can I exchange the plums for mango?
Thanks
Sure, Jessica, I think that should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
DF GF version
Our cherry plums have just appeared in abundance, and I came across this recipe!
I just made this cake with gluten free flour, and coconut oil instead of butter. I also halved the sugar amount.
It came out AMAZING! An absolute winner! So if you’re dairy free and/or gluten free, go for it!
Question for Claire:
I made my cake with coconut milk instead of dairy milk. It came out pale, never got the right color. Was your non dairy cake pale? Mine was cooked through, just pale. I wonder if replacing the dairy affects color.
Hey Jen
I have the plum segments individually frozen in a freezer bag so I can make the cake for Thanksgiving this year. Would you suggest I thaw them first or just put them in frozen before baking the cake?
Hi Lisa, I think you can just add them frozen. I’d love to hear how it turns out with the frozen plums!
Jenn!
Made the cake for Thanksgiving using frozen plums from late August/September.
Came out just as delicious as it did in late summer of this year!
Thank you for another easy, satisfying and delightful dessert!
So glad it was just as good with the frozen plums! Thanks for the follow-up — I’m sure other readers will appreciate it as well. 🙂
I added mine frozen but coated them with a bit of the flour mixture before putting them in. I had trouble in the past with them sinking to the bottom, staying there and making the bottom soggy. So this time i cut into smaller chunks, dredged with the flour mixture and then laid them on top pressing in just a bit. Served it to my staff this morning and it turned out great!
@Jenn segal, thank you for this recipe! I made this cake last night, I loved the spice flavored cake. But 1 problem I had was with the plums. They turned out very sour upon baking. They were sweet when I tasted before the bake. Do you have an idea why this might have happened? Appreciate your input please. Thanks!
Hi Anusha, Plums definitely turn more sour upon baking but the sugar in the cake should balance everything out. Did you by chance reduce the sugar?
Hello Jenn,
I’ve made your French Apple Cake multiple times and love it! And then a couple of days ago I made the Plum Cake because I’ve always wanted to make one!! It was divine, but I thought it would moisten the cake part a bit if I added some plums in the middle section. That’s what I’ve done and I also reduced the amount of flour (to just over a cup), but maybe I shouldn’t have because it’s now very moist (and delicious, of course) in the centre. Any advice? Plums, of course, have a lot more juice escaping from them than apples do, and your recipe for the grape cake calls for the grapes not to be cut, so I took a bit of a chance, I know. I will bow to your expert advice!! And you can privately email me back if you don’t think this is helpful for others, of course. I’d send you a picture, but I don’t Instagram.
Thank you Jenn.
Joy
Hi Joy, unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any way to salvage this – sorry!
Delicious! Pretty and enjoyed by all. I used prune plums and I would add even more plums next time.
Wonderful! I’ve made it twice this week! I recently started using whole nutmeg (and grating it myself) and what a difference that makes. I never liked using nutmeg before, but now love it. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
I made this plum cake three days ahead, cooled it and wrapped it in tin foil and froze it. Last night I served it to company and it was divine. Rave reviews! Thanks for all your great recipes.
P.S. Also made Israeli salad. Very refreshing for a hot night.
Wonderful cake, even though my plums were much too ripe! They were so overripe they were very difficult to slice, the pulp didn’t stay with the skin, and the juices ran out BUT it still made a delicious cake! I did my best to arrange the plums but had to resort to plopping the squished up pulp on and sprinkling the juice on top. Not ideal, but very good. Sweet, but still tart. Served with whipped cream. A huge hit! Will be using in years to come but will make sure plums aren’t mushy.
Hi, another fan from SW France (Dordogne region). On our walk the other day, we encountered tiny purple plums literally falling off the tree onto the public path. Tasted a couple, and they were divine, so next day we brought a bag and picked up all the good ones from the path. A kilo of fresh plums to divide between us. I Googled plum cakes and came up with your recipe. It’s in the oven now–fingers crossed! The flour over here is softer, the butter has more butterfat, and the eggs are richer. (My chocolate chip cookies fell flat.) The dough wasn’t quite so stiff as in your pictures, but I have soldiered on, and we shall see. But however it comes out, I know my husband will love it.
Oh, and thanks for adding the grams version of the recipe. That is so helpful to those of us who prefer to weigh out ingredients.
Hope it turns out great Cyndy! 🙂
Oops! forgot to rate………. Five Star for sure!
Well this was fabulous!! So very easy to put together and everyone loved it!!
I’m thinking that this would be a really nice compliment to my traditional Thanksgiving pies (apple/pumpkin/pecan) this year. I’m not big on baking then freezing baked goods. Something gets lost in the process and doesn’t taste as good as fresh baked!
Is it possible to purchase the plums now and freeze them for November? Could I cut them up in the segments for the cake and put them in a freezer bag?
Thanks Jen for another beautiful recipe!
Hi Lisa, So glad you enjoyed this! And yes, I do think it would work to freeze sliced plums to use in a few months from now — good idea! Just make sure you freeze them in a single layer for a bit before putting them in a freezer bag so they don’t all get stuck together. Here are some tips that may help. 🙂
Hey plum lovers! I just wanted to chime in on freezing plums. Someone gave me several pounds of black plums and I pitted them, sliced them into quarters, froze them on a cookie sheet (covered in plastic), then transferred the frozen plums into freezer bags. They worked great in Jenn’s wonderful plum cake recipe. I still look for new plum recipes, but hers always “takes the cake!”
Well, you don’t need me to tell you how delicious this plum cake is, but let me tell you, this recipe is DELICIOUS! I served it with a boozy whip cream, adding 2 tablespoons of rum to the homemade whip cream and everyone loved it! But I have to say this cake is delicious even without any addition. It’s also very easy to make. This is a definite keeper. Thank you, Jenn for another perfect recipe.
This was delicious and moist and lightly spicy. Used Japanese plums from our trees and had it for dessert one evening then for breakfast the next morning. All gone now! Everyone loved it!
What plums work best for this cake — Italian plums, black plums?
Hi Victoria, I typically use black plums for this. 🙂
I knew this would be delicious by the scent wafting through my kitchen as it baked and it was! Reminiscent of my German grandmother’s plum kuchen. Equally wonderful for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or for a morning or afternoon snack with coffee or tea. Your recipes never disappoint. Thank you!
I bought a box of plums and have been making this recipe on repeat. I made three in the last week! The directions are quick and easy to follow. I didn’t have any cardamon (still delicious) and I used a 9″ cake pan. No issues when I removed it from the pan…it popped right out. We enjoyed it with ice cream for dessert, but it’s also been eatenfor breakfast. This plum cake is a winner with my family. . .Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I made this yesterday for the first time as we had friends coming over and it turned out wonderfully. Such an easy recipe to follow. I halved the amount of sugar so our toddlers could have some too and it was still delicious and sweet, you would never have known. It got lots of compliments so thank you for the recipe, it’ll be one I make lots when our plum tree is fruiting. In fact I’m making it again already today as we have more visitors!
This recipe looks wonderful. However, I wonder if it would work well if I substituted gluten free flour ( King Arthur 1:1) for regular all purpose flour?
Yep 🙂
This turned out beautifully in a springform pan. I sprinkled flaked almonds over the plums before adding the sprinkle of sugar. It gave the top a beautiful texture. I wonder if the amount of spice could be increased. I plan to try it with apples next time.
I have a question. I have already added a 5 star review considering it was fantastic, but I knew if I did not put it in the freezer I would eat it all by the time Sunday arrived for a family dinner.
It did not freeze well at all. I wrapped in 3 layers of aluminum foil. Left it there for 4 days and took out the night before. When I unwrapped, it crumbled. No longer when I sliced did it hold. Here is what I did differently:
Used Cake Flour
Used less sugar on top
Added a little over 3/4 C of sugar vs. the 1 C.
Baked 60 min.
It was still delicious, but looked so sad. Do you have any advise? Thank you…
Hi Heather, Sorry to hear you had a problem with the cake’s texture after freezing it. Because cake flour makes for a more tender cake, I suspect that was the cause of it breaking apart after freezing.
Excellent cake. I put in 3/4 of a cup of sugar into the dough and it was sweet enough. Will definitely bake again (very soon!)
I followed directions except used less sugar and I used dark plums. Cooked perfectly at 60 min. This cake is beautiful and easy. I had a slice while it was still warm with no ice cream or whipped cream and it was just delightful. So light and just lovely flavors. I have never used Cardamon before, but luckily Sprouts sells in bulk so I purchased a tablespoon. enough for the cake. This will be my go to forever… Fantastic! Thank you so much!!
I made this exactly following the directions except, didn’t have cardamom so I added a little freshly ground allspice and I used “Cherry Plums” instead because they were fresh AND on sale. Everybody LOVED it. My wife has told me that I could make this anytime. My only change will be that next time I’m going to cut back from 60 minutes to 50 because my dark colored springform pan came out a little dark on the bottom. It was still moist and nobody complained. Every recipe I’ve cooked from Jenn Segal has been a winner!
This made a very nice, light cake that wasn’t too sweet, perfect for summer. I did make one small change, using 2 tablespoons of Demerara sugar sprinkled over the fruit instead of white sugar. It gave a little more crunchy texture to the top of the cake without changing the flavor. I would definitely make this again, maybe experimenting with different fruit.
I used “Sugar in the Raw” on mine and everyone agreed that it added a nice little crunch without being too sweet.
I was looking for a cake to make for my moms birthday when I came across this recipe. She’s not much of a sweets person and will usually take a couple bites of someone else’s piece rather than having one of her own. She loves peaches so I substituted them instead of plums…it was SUCH a hit. She ate an entire piece (served w vanilla ice cream!) and told me at least three times after how delicious it was! Thank you yet again for a delicious recipe!! My husband requested your key lime pie for Father’s Day tomorrow so another day, another recipe from Jenn! We will continue to make our way through your cook book!!
💕
This plum cake is absolutely superb, thoroughly recommend it. However in a gas fan-forced oven it was cooked in just 45 mins at 180C.
I want to make this for my father who can’t chew well. Would it work to peel the plums or are the skins not too chewy?
Thanks, Barbara
Hi Barbara, I wouldn’t say the skins are particularly chewy, but I think it depends upon how challenged your dad is with chewing. I think it couldn’t hurt to remove the skins and then not have to worry about it. Hope he enjoys!
Wonderful recipe. Making again this weekend, delicious and pretty!
This was wonderful. I doubled it and used a 9×13 glass baking dish. I used King Arthur Flour GF Measure for Measure flour. It took 2.5 days for my plums to ripen on the counter in small brown paper bags (about 4 to a bag). I found I didn’t need to double the plums–they didn’t all fit–but I enjoyed eating the pieces I couldn’t use. I served the cake with whipped cream made earlier in the afternoon. Everyone loved it.