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.
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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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Do you have a suggestion for how to adjust baking time if using multiple 4 inch springform pans instead of 9 inch. Would you cut the baking time in half?
Hi L, I’m concerned that with the smaller pans and reduced baking time, that the plums wouldn’t have enough time to cook/soften up. Sorry!
ok thank you.
An amazing cake! So simple and so tasty
The only problem is that the cake vanished so quickly
Don’t make a mistake and bake this recipe! I did and we 3 finished the whole cake in one go! Irresistible!
I just baked this as directed, only using a bit less sugar. I used prune plums. Oh my!
It’s sitting on the cooling rack with 2 pieces missing.
This is an amazing cake, tender and perfectly spiced. I’m going to make it again tomorrow for a friends birthday!
It’s a wonderful recipe! Love the spices in it and it was nice and moist!
I will make it again since my whole family thought it was awesome!
My son doesn’t usually cook or bake, but he wanted to make my birthday cake yesterday so I found this recipe for him. He found it very easy to follow, and the cake turned out delicious! I just had another piece for breakfast with coffee–perfect!
Everyone loved the juxtaposition of the tart and juicy plums with the flavorful cake, and commented that they would have it again any time.
Thanks for sharing!
This is a simple and lovely recipe that has wonderfully balanced flavours. It marries the joys together of late summer and early autumn.
JENN!! I just made this cake this morning and am having my 2nd piece with a lovely cup of tea! I grew up with 2 plum trees and miss my Mom’s and Baba’s plum cakes. So when I saw a 4 pd box of purple Italian plums at Costco last week, I was on a mission. Your recipe did not disappoint! This cake very easy to put together and I love the rustic look. I cut the sugar to 3/4 and replaced 1/2 cup flour with almond meal, and sprinkled the top with turbinado sugar. BaDaBOOM! This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever made and will be my go-to from now on. The spices give it such a delicate boost of flavour too. I will surely be making this again; no really, I’ve got less than 3 pounds of plums left since munching on them while slicing! Another great recipe by you!
Janet
PS: can I slice up the rest of the plums and freeze them? I’d love to make this for our Canadian Thanksgiving Oct. 12th.
So glad you enjoyed this, Janet!! Yes, you can definitely slice and freeze any remaining plums. 🙂
Everyone loved this cake. It was perfect! I substituted ground cloves for the cardamom b/c I didn’t want to go to the store. I will be making this again very soon.
Delicious, thank you..
I replaced Cardamom with Ginger powder..
Love your recipes..
Lemon pound cake was also delicious so was burger recipe..
By the way, I live in Istanbul and am in my late seventies..
Thanks 😊
Hello Jenn, this was a very nice recipe and easy to put together and bake. it smelled wonderful while baking. I chose peaches as a topping and can send a picture if you like but I am not sure how to attach it.
So glad you liked it! Unfortunately, the blog isn’t set up to receive pictures but if you’re on Instagram, you can share it there; be sure to tag me @onceuponachef! 🙂
Dear Jenn,
Plum Cake is delicious, thank you for the recipe. I used ginger instead of cardamom.
What a lovely, warm, sweet, yet tart cake! I made homemade vanilla whipped cream to go with it. My husband said it’s the best one he’s ever eaten, however, he seems to say that about any recipe I make from your site, Jenn! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes! I can’t wait for your next cookbook to come out 🙂