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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I have made this cake four times in the last two weeks. Each time, it vanishes within an hour of baking! I reduced the sugar to 3/4c and the sugar on top to 1 tablespoon, since we like our desserts to be less sweet than most recipes I find online. Great recipe!
Jen, just wanted you to know that this is my “go to” summer cake recipe for fruit. I have made it using plums, raspberries, strawberries ( to rave reviews ) and peaches. Apples get their chance this Fall. Thank you.
Wow! It was gorgeous, juicy plums, warm spices, a winner for me, but I had to substitute a couple of spices and cardamom because of allergies. Used mixed spice instead, made with a cake pan. A great treat!
I had exactly 1 pound of extremely ripe, juicy plums hanging around. I’m so glad I made this cake. It was visually stunning (I made it in a white pie pan with a fluted edge) and the taste was outstanding. The combination of jammy purple plums and spice was, to me, very unique. Mine was done at 55 min and I used Gold Medal flour- I get best results with this flour when I make cakes and cookies. Thank you for another winner!
This is a wonderful cake; beautiful and simple yet interesting. Mine turned out a little dry, especially at the edges. Next time I’ll use full fat milk (used 2% this time), try to find some juicier plums and maybe bake for 5min less but I’ll definitely be making this again! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jen! Looking forward to this one. I don’t keep milk around much my stomach doesn’t handle it around, but yogurt is still ok. Would thinning out some yogurt be a possibility or would it mess with the baking powder too much?
Hi Melinda, it may be fine but I’m not 100% sure so I wouldn’t risk it; instead, I’d use a dairy-free milk. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the cake!
Thanks Jen! I forgot to buy something else 2 days in a row so I ended up using the yogurt and crossing my fingers. I only added a couple splashes of water-def thicker than milk. It took perhaps a little longer than advertised to bake but I think it was actually having a little too much fruit, not the yogurt. It turned out fantastic in the end and got rave reviews from my friends. Thanks for another great one!
Thanks for the follow-up, so glad it came out well!
OMGoodness! This is the best ever summer cake. I don’t even care that much about plums. I bought 2 for my daughter, who didn’t eat them. Then I saw the recipe and the comments and had to go out and get a few more. I expected the skin to be a little chewy but it wasn’t. It was delicious gooey (when a little warm) goodness with some hints of spice. I rate my recipes and this is a 10/10 points!
I’ve made this 2 times in the past month…
My family is obsessed with it. Perfect combo of tart and sweet, while the warm spices bring depth and a fragrant aroma. I serve it with homemade whipped cream, but I love it plain as well.
It is by far one of my all time favourite desserts!
Absolutely love this recipe! I did make a few modifications and it came out wonderfully, which speaks to its flexibility:
1. I used 1/2 t of cardamom, since I really love cardamom
2. I substituted 1c of the AP flour for gluten free flour and the remaining 1/2c of AP flour for almond flour. The cake baked up beautifully and had a really nice texture.
This cake was a breeze to make and was a huge hit at family dinner. Highly recommend!
I did 1.5 lb plums my second time around bc I couldn’t get enough of the tart flavor ratio to cake. Added half the plums to the middle of spreading out the batter and it was a delight!
Hi Jenn, Can you use skim milk? I am attempting this for guests and that’s what we use.
Yep 🙂
This is such a lovely cake. I’ve received many compliments for it, the most recent that it tastes like an ‘adult cake’. Love the flavour combinations and I’ve made this twice in 7″ and 9″ cake tins and it works brilliantly with a bit of tweak on times. I used oat milk and served with oat cream as I can’t have normal milk/cream and it’s still delicious. I normally reduce sugar in recipes but found yours had the perfect ratio to round out the tartness with the plums. This is added to my go-to summer cake recipes. Thanks so much for creating and sharing such an amazing recipe!