This EASY Plum Cake recipe is moist, delicious, and simple to customize to a variety of fruit so you can enjoy it all year!
Looking for more dessert recipes? Try our Tres Leches Cake or Panna Cotta!
There are so many ways to enjoy Plum Cake, including warm with ice cream, cold with whipped cream on top, or even next to your morning tea or coffee! Feel free to double the recipe to feed a crowd with a 9×13 pan, and customize it to use pears, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, or cherries, depending on what’s in season. This cake is a crowd pleaser and loved by all!
How to make Plum Cake:
Whisk dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
Cream together butter and ¾ cup sugar in another bowl or stand mixer for several minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract and mix until combined.
Combine: Add half the flour mixture, then half the milk and beat on low speed until smooth. Add remaining milk, then remaining flour.
Smooth batter into an even layer in a greased pan. Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern.
Bake for 50-70 minutes (depending on how juicy the fruit is), until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges of pan, then remove the springform edge. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Serve plum cake warm or cold, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or with a cup of coffee or tea. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Freezing Instructions:
To Freeze: Allow cake to cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Recipe Variations:
- Different Fruit: Use pears, peaches, necatarines, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, or a combination.
- Milk: Soy, almond, or unsweetened coconut milk would also work.
- Gluten Free: Substitute gluten free flour.
- Dairy free: Substitute coconut butter and soy, almond, or coconut milk.
- 9×13 Pan: Double recipe to fit in a 9×13 pan.
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Recipe
Plum Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup butter , room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup milk*
- 1 pound plums , pitted and cut into 8 slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, (or bake in a 9 inch deep dish pie plate, or round or square baking pan and cut and serve from the pan).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- In another bowl, or stand mixer, add butter and sugar and mix for several minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract and mix until combined.
- Add half the flour mixture, then half the milk and beat on low speed until smooth. Add remaining milk, then remaining flour.
- Smooth batter into an even layer in the pan. Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern.
- Bake for 50-70 minutes (depending on how juicy the fruit is), until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan, then remove the springform edge. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Serve plum cake warm or cold, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or with a cup of coffee or tea.
- Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Notes
- Different Fruit: Use pears, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, or a combination.
- Milk: Soy, almond, or unsweetened coconut milk would also work.
- Gluten Free: Substitute gluten free flour
- Dairy free: Substitute coconut butter and soy, almond, or coconut milk.
- 9×13 Pan: Double recipe to fit in a 9×13 pan.
Nutrition
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Recipe adapted from NYT New Age Plum Torte
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Not a big fan of plums, but my neighbor gave me some, so I decided to try this plum cake. Who knew that plums roasted in the oven would be so sweet and delicious?! Next time I will skin a few and chop them up to add to the batter. The cake was fine, maybe a bit dry. But the part with the plums was spectacular. I sprinkled a little Demerara sugar on top before baking.
I remember the delicious plum cake my mother used to make and this sounds similar, though I haven’t made it yet. I would like to know whether, if my plums are on the firm side, I can still use them and depend on them to ripen up during baking.
I was looking for something to make with a bunch of off-season plums I acquired a few months ago and found this recipe. It turned out to be the perfect solution for my needs! It’s easy to make but yields a moist cake with lovely, complex flavors! I’ve just made it again and I’m adding it to my repertoire of desserts! Thank you!
I thought I was the only person who grew up eating plum cake. This is something that I loved as a kid but have forgotten all about. When I saw your post, it got me as excited as I have been in a long time to bake something. I made it this weekend and it is already gone. It was amazing and even better than I remember.
P.S. I love your recipes and how easy they are to follow. I especially love the all of the variations, so helpful. Thanks for sharing another great recipe.