Plum Cake

This buttery and luscious plum cake is deliciously jammy and sweet, and the perfect dessert to prepare when you're craving a treat made with juicy stone fruit. Brimming with an abundance of sliced red plums in every bite, this aromatic plum cake recipe is my take on a beloved Austrian-style dessert, perfect to bake during plum season!

A moist, buttery cake filled with juicy plums

I love the almost sweet fragrance that the summer air has to it, replete with the faint aroma of ripened fruits that are at the peak of their juicy sweetness.

Stone fruits are so wonderfully abundant at the moment, and I love to use the fresh nectarines for sweet treats such as my nectarine crumb tart, or the fragrant peaches for my peach galette when we're craving a delicious homemade dessert.

We also absolutely adore plums and typically enjoy their sweet tanginess fresh out of our fruit bowl, or prepared as my grilled plums recipe, topped with cool and creamy vanilla mascarpone and honey.

Because plums are such a wonderful stone fruit to bake with, what sounded absolutely scrumptious this summer was to make use of them in an Austrian-inspired plum cake. It's the perfect cake for this season.

Buttery in flavor with the light aroma of almond, my jammy, luscious plum cake recipe is brimming with an abundance of sliced, ruby-colored plums.

It's gorgeously rustic with a light, moist crumb, delicious served just as it is, or lightly dusted with powdered sugar and a spoon of whipped cream. However you enjoy it, just know that one slice is usually never enough!

My plum cake recipe

For this scrumptious cake, I wanted to make the fresh plums the star, so that each and every bite was sweet and juicy, tangy, and absolutely irresistible.

I use a good amount of plums here, and opt for organic red plums, because they end up providing such a lovely and vibrant ruby-red color in the cake. You can of course use any kind of plum you desire or have available.

The cake batter is meant to be a bit of a "support" to the fruit. It offers some buttery and tender structure with a light, moist crumb. I get those results with the help of butter, sour cream, and a splash of milk in the batter.

The real beauty of this recipe is all about the plums and allowing their juices to seep into the batter while the plum cake bakes, providing color and flavor. So I like to sweeten the sliced red plums and allow them to sit and macerate before adding them to the cake batter.

All that love and care encourages the natural and delicious juices of the plums to release, creating that luscious jammy goodness in the finished cake.

Here's a sneak peek at my plum cake recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I macerate my plums with some sugar and lemon juice, then set them aside for 10 minutes to help release their juices.
2. Meanwhile, I whisk together the dry ingredients and set those aside.
3. Next, I cream my butter and sugar together until very fluffy, then begin adding in the eggs and extracts, followed by the sour cream.
4. I then slowly add in my dry ingredients, alternating with my milk, until both are blended in.
5. Next, I spoon a portion of my batter into my prepared springform pan, top with some of the juicy, sliced plums, then top that with the rest of the batter. I finish with the rest of the sliced plums over top.
6. I bake the plum cake for roughly 1 hour, 15 minutes.
7. When done, I allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before releasing the springform and allowing it to then cool completely.
8. I serve the plum cake just as is, or might even sprinkle it with powdered sugar, maybe some whipped cream.

Recipe

Plum Cake

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This luscious plum cake has a moist, tender and buttery crumb, and is absolutely brimming with sweet, tangy plums in every bite!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Austrian-American

Yield: Serves 12

Nutrition Info: 298 calories (per serving)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 small, red plums (or 6 larger plums), pitted and sliced (or your favorite type of plum)
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for plums
• 2 large eggs, room temp
• 1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
• ½ cup full-fat sour cream, room temp
• ½ cup whole milk, room temp
• Powdered sugar, optional topping
• Whipped cream, optional accompaniment

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°, and line a 9-inch springform cake pan with a parchment round and a light misting of cooking spray.
3. Place the sliced plums into a large bowl, and add the lemon juice and the 2 tablespoons of sugar, and toss to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to create juiciness.
4. Meanwhile, whisk together your flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
5. Place your butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and mix the two together, creaming them until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
6. Add the eggs in one at a time, followed by the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix to blend. Next, add in the sour cream, and mix that in just until incorporated.
7. Then, begin adding in about ⅓ of the dry ingredients, mixing just until they incorporate, then add in half of the milk, and mix that in just until blended.
8. Mix in another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, followed by the rest of the milk, and finally the rest of the dry ingredients, and mix just until smooth and incorporated, taking care not to overmix the batter to keep it light.
9. Spoon roughly half (or a little less) of the batter into the prepared springform pan, then smooth it out with an offset spatula or knife. Layer on roughly half (or a little less) of the sliced plums over top.
10. Next, spoon the rest of the cake batter over that plum layer, and again, carefully smooth out the top. Arrange the remaining sliced plums over top of the cake, nestling them into the batter, and place the plum cake into the oven to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until baked through (it may seem a bit tender and moist in the center, which is normal), rotating halfway through the baking time. (You can cover the cake with foil the last 5 or 10 minutes if it's getting too brown.)
11. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release the springform and allow the cake to cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar (optional topping), and slicing and enjoying with whipped cream, or just as is.

Tips & tidbits for my plum cake recipe:

• Ripe, red plums, or your favorite variety of plum: When choosing plums, opt for plums that are firm with a little bit of "give" to them, for just the right amount of ripeness. You don't want the plums to be mushy or too soft, nor too firm. Feel free to use black plums, Italian plums, yellow plums, even red "pluots" (plum/apricot mix), or whatever type of plum you prefer.
• Bake just until baked through, yet tender: This cake is very jammy and fruit-forward, so it may still seem a bit too moist and soft in the center, even after 1 hour 15 minutes of bake time—this is normal. As it sits in the pan, and then cools completely once out of the pan, it will continue to set up. The consistency is very tender and moist, with lots of fruit throughout. The batter is more of a support for the plums, rather than a dense cake.
• How to store your plum cake: Once completely cooled, you can sprinkle over some powdered sugar if desired, and keep the cake on a cake plate covered with a cake dome. Or, keep on a large plate covered in plastic wrap. It is best enjoyed the day you make it, or even the next day. It will also keep well in the fridge for a few extra days. Just allow it to come to room temp before enjoying again.

Craving more recipes like this? Check out my recipe for Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, Blueberry Lemon Cake, Lemon Ricotta Cake with Raspberries, Olive Oil Cake, or even my recipe for Cherry Turnovers!