This decadent Plum Cake is an amazing dessert recipe perfect for winter, Christmas, and a dinner party. Inspired by the famous New York Times recipe, this cake is full of jammy flavors in a comforting cake.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This Plum Cake was a huge hit at a dinner party and it was so easy to make!
The cooked plums on top bring an amazing jammy, sweet flavor to the cake.
It is an incredibly easy cake to make and very forgiving!
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you need or Plum Cake:
- Flour
- Almond Flour (or Cornstarch)
- Eggs
- Plums
- Lemon
- Ground Cinnamon
- Slivered (or Chopped) Almonds
- Butter
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
Equipment
- Pie Dish (or 9 inch cake pan)
- Stand Mixer (or hand mixer and large bowl)
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Instruction Overview
Prepare your plums by cutting them and mixing with lemon juice and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest.
Add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla extract.
Slowly add the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
Fold in the slivered almonds.
Scoop the batter into a greased pie dish.
Place the plums on top in a circular pattern (or any pattern as desired). Do not press them too much into the batter, as the batter will rise around them and you do not want them to sink.
Bake until cooked through, approximately 45-55 minutes.
Modifications and Substitutions
Almond flour brings a great flavor to the batter, but a great swap is cornmeal. Cornmeal has the same nuttiness in a slightly different taste, but also brings a little more texture to the cake.
Any type of plum will work great. You could also use other stone fruits or berries.
This plum cake uses fresh plums, but variations use prunes (dried plums) soaked in liquor. If desired, you can soak prunes in whiskey, brandy, or dark rum and use on top.
Kim’s Tips
Cutting the wedges of plum for the top means more of that jammy flavor! You can cut them thinner if desired into 8ths.
Make extra fruit to serve fresh on top.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!
FAQs
Why do we eat plum cake on Christmas?
Plum cakes are very different today than they used to be. They originally were more of a porridge and eaten before the Christmas meal to prepare the stomach.
Which plums are best for baking?
Any type of plum you like will work just fine. I like to use red or black fleshed plums for their rich flavor and great color.
Do you peel plums before baking?
There is no need to peel the plums. They will become soft and also give the cake a great color.
What is the easiest way to peel plums?
If you do want to peel your plums, I like to use a vegetable peeler.
Plum Cake
Equipment
- Stand mixer or large bowl and hand mixer
- Juicer
- Pie dish 9 inches, or round cake pan same size
Ingredients
- 2 pounds plums
- 1 lemon for both zest and juice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- â…” cup all purpose flour
- â…“ cup almond flour or cornmeal, or more flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
- ½ cup slivered almonds
Instructions
Prepare Plums
- Cut the plums into sixths, removing the pits.(Cut in half, and then hut each half into 3 wedges).2 pounds plums
- Zest the lemon and set the zest aside for later.1 lemon
- Toss the plum pieces with the juice of 1 lemon and ground cinnamon. Set aside.2 pounds plums, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 lemon
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), use the paddle attachment on medium speed to beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and lemon zest.½ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 lemon
- Add the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.2 large eggs
- Add the vanilla and mix to combine.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly mix in the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined.â…” cup all purpose flour, â…“ cup almond flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch salt
- Fold in the slivered almonds.½ cup slivered almonds
- Pour the batter into a pie dish that has been prepped with non-stick spray.
- Arrange the plum pieces in a circle around the outside edge, touching, and then repeat for the inner circle. Do not press them down as the batter will rise up around them.
- Bake until the cake is cooked through, approximately 45-55 minutes.
I haven’t had a plum cake in years! My grandma used to make this for Christmas every year! I should make this!
Oh my, this Plum Cake looks amazingly delicious! Such a perfect combination of stone fruit and almonds making this cake so tasty and looks really enticing! Loved it!