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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Oops! forgot to rate………. Five Star for sure!
Well this was fabulous!! So very easy to put together and everyone loved it!!
I’m thinking that this would be a really nice compliment to my traditional Thanksgiving pies (apple/pumpkin/pecan) this year. I’m not big on baking then freezing baked goods. Something gets lost in the process and doesn’t taste as good as fresh baked!
Is it possible to purchase the plums now and freeze them for November? Could I cut them up in the segments for the cake and put them in a freezer bag?
Thanks Jen for another beautiful recipe!
Hi Lisa, So glad you enjoyed this! And yes, I do think it would work to freeze sliced plums to use in a few months from now — good idea! Just make sure you freeze them in a single layer for a bit before putting them in a freezer bag so they don’t all get stuck together. Here are some tips that may help. 🙂
Hey plum lovers! I just wanted to chime in on freezing plums. Someone gave me several pounds of black plums and I pitted them, sliced them into quarters, froze them on a cookie sheet (covered in plastic), then transferred the frozen plums into freezer bags. They worked great in Jenn’s wonderful plum cake recipe. I still look for new plum recipes, but hers always “takes the cake!”
Well, you don’t need me to tell you how delicious this plum cake is, but let me tell you, this recipe is DELICIOUS! I served it with a boozy whip cream, adding 2 tablespoons of rum to the homemade whip cream and everyone loved it! But I have to say this cake is delicious even without any addition. It’s also very easy to make. This is a definite keeper. Thank you, Jenn for another perfect recipe.
This was delicious and moist and lightly spicy. Used Japanese plums from our trees and had it for dessert one evening then for breakfast the next morning. All gone now! Everyone loved it!
What plums work best for this cake — Italian plums, black plums?
Hi Victoria, I typically use black plums for this. 🙂
I knew this would be delicious by the scent wafting through my kitchen as it baked and it was! Reminiscent of my German grandmother’s plum kuchen. Equally wonderful for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or for a morning or afternoon snack with coffee or tea. Your recipes never disappoint. Thank you!
I bought a box of plums and have been making this recipe on repeat. I made three in the last week! The directions are quick and easy to follow. I didn’t have any cardamon (still delicious) and I used a 9″ cake pan. No issues when I removed it from the pan…it popped right out. We enjoyed it with ice cream for dessert, but it’s also been eatenfor breakfast. This plum cake is a winner with my family. . .Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I made this yesterday for the first time as we had friends coming over and it turned out wonderfully. Such an easy recipe to follow. I halved the amount of sugar so our toddlers could have some too and it was still delicious and sweet, you would never have known. It got lots of compliments so thank you for the recipe, it’ll be one I make lots when our plum tree is fruiting. In fact I’m making it again already today as we have more visitors!
This recipe looks wonderful. However, I wonder if it would work well if I substituted gluten free flour ( King Arthur 1:1) for regular all purpose flour?
Yep 🙂
This turned out beautifully in a springform pan. I sprinkled flaked almonds over the plums before adding the sprinkle of sugar. It gave the top a beautiful texture. I wonder if the amount of spice could be increased. I plan to try it with apples next time.