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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Hey Jen,
What do you think about using turbinado sugar instead of white for topping? any thoughts?
thanks for another great one!
Sure, Carol, that will work. Enjoy!
Have at it – that’s what I used. 🙂
Amazing recipe! Perfection really… going to try it with peaches next.
This cake is incredibly easy to make and is absolutely delicious. Don’t pass on the cardamom, it adds another note of flavor that is so satisfying. I added turbinado cane sugar on top the last 5 minutes of baking for a little sweet crunch.
I made this yesterday for a family brunch. A smashing success. The sweet, slightly sour taste of the plumbs created a perfect balance with the 1cup + 2tbsp sugar.
The recipe is easy and quick but the result looks like I slaved away 😉
The cake was perfection.
Hands-down one of the best cakes I’ve ever made.
Thank you again for your fantastic recipes. Each one has come out exactly as described, and the flavor profiles never disappoint.
Really enjoyed this cake last summer. Any attempts to try this recipe with rhubarb? Have so much in my garden right now.
Glad you liked it! I’ve never tried it with rhubarb. It may be a bit tart, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
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.
Oh? I’m going to have to try that.
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.