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
This easy plum cake recipe is rustic, cozy, and just as good with your morning coffee as it is with dessert.
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.
- Storage: 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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Comments
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Can I use shiro yellow plums in this recipe? That’s all I have.
Sure, Cheryl, those should work. Enjoy!
Delicious! We loved the spices. Great use for plums past their prime.
I made this with lactose free ‘butter’ and milk for a friend who’s lactose intolerant and it was delicious. cake texture was very fall apart but everyone wanted seconds and thirds. Going to make tomorrow with regular butter and milk and see if any difference. But must be served with double or whipped cream I reckon!
Hi, greetings from New Zealand! It’s my first time working with plums – bought a big pack of plums from the local Sunday market hoping we could eat them as they ripen but they were too sour. Some of them were used to marinate meat and I didn’t know what to do with the rest. Glad I came across this recipe!
I’m not the one to write a review but this cake deserves recognition. The combination of spices, plus the sweetness of the cake and sourness of the plums — yum!!! It’s the perfect summer treat. The family thoroughly enjoyed it. Made a big batch so I could freeze a large portion for our lunchboxes. I’m saving the recipe and definitely sharing this link to friends and family!
This is such a delicious, easy cake! The spices are perfect and the ingredients are pantry staples. I used a dark red Australian plum (Queen Garnet) and served it with vanilla ice cream and cream for my dad’s birthday- it was a big family hit! Oh, and heaven to eat!
Thank you Jenn for another winning recipe!
This has become our staple dessert for the last few years. A definite family favourite!
Can you use thawed previously frozen plums for the summer plum cake recipe?
Sure!
I tried an equal measure of apple cider in place of the milk and it was excellent.
Made this last night with many plums on hand. It was way better than I even expected. It is now going into my favorite recipes folder. We had it with some vanilla ice cream. The only ingredient I was missing was cardamom so I substituted a pinch of ground ginger. My boyfriend is ready to propose after this one (haha I hope)!
I became aware of Jenn’s website and recipes from my brother-in-law a year or so ago and have not experienced a bad recipe yet! This cake is AMAZING! The balance of spice, sweetness, and tart jamminess of the plums was incredibly satisfying. The sugar crust on top adds a bit of textured crunch. I wouldn’t go without it! I served it warm with vanilla ice cream.
I did sub out the AP flour for King Arthur’s gluten free AP flour, and my husband said you couldn’t even tell this was a gluten free cake.
Also agree with a previous poster about this being a perfect holiday recipe. The spices were warm without overpowering the cake. This cake is in the running to replace my current holiday cake – Ina Garten’s cranberry apple cake that I serve with homemade creme anglaise.