Late Summer Plum Cake
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Gently spiced, this jammy plum cake celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Serve it as a brunch cake or for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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 plums turn into rich, jammy pockets as they bake, 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, or topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What you’ll need to make Plum Cake
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by whisking the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt together in a large bowl.
Next, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the milk, and beat on low speed until smooth.
Transfer the batter to a greased Springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Note that the batter is quite thick.
Arrange the plums on top, skin side up, in a circular pattern so that they cover most of 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 (leave the base in place). Let the cake cool on a rack completely.
Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
You may also Like
- Fresh Peach Cake with Pecan Streusel
- Summer Strawberry Cake
- Blueberry Coffee Cake (aka Boy Bait)
- Plum Galette
Late Summer Plum Cake
Gently spiced, this jammy plum cake celebrates the summer-into-fall season. Serve it as a brunch cake or for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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.
- Note: 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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I made this recipe, substituted the sugar for erythritol, and it came out beautifully! It’s really great when a recipe works with sugar substitutes.
This is my go to recipe when the Italian Prunes make their entrance. It is delicious just as written. I have been making this for a number of years and everyone I serve to loves it. It’s beautiful when it is baked the only change I make is the sprinkle 2 tablespoons of raw sugar on the top instead of using the plain sugar. Gives the cake a little sparkle.
Typo alert !
Transfer the batter to a greased Springform pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Note that the batter is quick thick.
Thanks so much for pointing that out – I just fixed it – it takes a village! 🙂
I made this cake today. Very tasty! It came out exactly as on Jennifer’s photo. My butter was very soft so I needed more flour. But I added almond flour instead.
The cake is very light! I will be making it all the time! Thank you!
As per usual, Jenn’s Summer Plum Cake is spot on. Moist, just the right amount of sweetness, and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, over the top. Soooooo delicious!
This is so easy and wonderful. Thanks
Hello Jennifer,
Can you replace the flour with almond flour? I would like to make this dessert but my company will not touch a cake unless almond or other kind of flour.
Thanks
Debora
Hi Debora, I don’t think this will translate well to all almond flour. You could try subbing out a small portion of the all-purpose flour with it, but I can’t say for sure how it will impact the texture. You can find more information about alternative flours here. Hope that helps!
We had a nice crop of plums this year and as those of you who have trees know, they ripen pretty much all at the same time. The question always is the same. What to do with our plums? We made this super easy Plum cake. Jen’s instructions were easy to follow and we feel it turned out great. It was beautiful as well as delicious. It received rave comments from friends and family. This is now our new go-to plum cake! Five star ❣️⭐️
My family enjoyed this cake with vanilla ice cream. One of my guest mentioned that it brought back memories of his grandmother’s recipe! I will make it again when I have some nice ripe plums.
I made this summer plum cake yesterday and it turned out delicious. The only thing different I did was slice the plum in eights rather than quarter them. I felt the plums quartered were too large.
Hello. I Made your delicious recipe.
But my Plum cake had a soggy Bottom ! I was thinking shall i use parchment paper and bake one rung down in my oven ? Plus I prefer using grams or ounces when weighing my flour and sugar. ( Butter is very standard ) But flour and sugar weight is not. Would you please convert your unbleached flour measure and cake flour and sugar measure to Your recipes standard. !! I would soo Appreciate
The Clarification. So frustrating when using good ingredients and time and effort and the end product ends up gooey or dry or soggy. And trash bound !!! Thanks 😊
So sorry you had a problem with this, Dawn! The majority of my recipes actually do have conversions to weight/metric measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope you have better luck if you try this again!!