Late Summer Plum Cake
an easy recipe that makes great use of my favorite stone fruit–the plumcot!
I’ve been wanting to make a cake studded with plums or apricots for a while now -- they’re just so lovely looking. While I love all stone fruits, plumcots are some of my favorites. They’re super sweet and rich with a flavor that’s genuinely somewhere between a plum and an apricot. I also love that they’re small, which usually means I end up eating about four in one sitting.
In this cake, the crumb is tender and buttery and not too sweet. I fold half of the plumcots directly into the batter and arrange the rest on top so you can see them poking out of the surface. For a little crunch I sprinkle sliced almonds along the edges, and a dusting of sugar over the top before baking adds just a touch more sweetness.
Tips
Use apricots or small, regular plums if you can’t find plumcots. If you use plums, you may need to cut the halves into wedges instead, and use 4 to 5 rather than 8.
If you love a more almond-forward flavor, add about 1/4 teaspoon of almond extrac to the batter.
Downloadble recipe card
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for topping
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
8 plumcots, halved with pits removed
1/2 cup sliced almonds
powdered sugar for garnish
Directions
Heat the oven to 350ºF. Grease the sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined and slightly light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Whisk in the vanilla.
Starting with the dry ingredients, alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Fold in half of the plumcot halves.
Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan, dispersing the plumcot halves evenly so there’s room to press in the remaining. Arrange the remaining plumcot halves, cut side up, in the batter, pressing down slightly. Sprinkle the almond slices all along the edges.
Bake until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool slightly, then remove it from the cake pan.
Serve the plum cake warm or at room temperature with a dusting of powdered sugar. Serve freshly whipped cream on the side, if desired.
If you have any questions about the recipe or would like to share a photo, I’d love to hear from you in the chat below!!
Perfect timing✨I have a plum tree with ripe plums on it