Plain Plum Cake

5 from 1 vote

This plain plum cake is flavoured with a little vanilla and ground cardamom, giving this cake a sweet flavour that pairs so well with bright plums!

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 334kcal

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) springform pan with parchment, then butter and flour the sides. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugar for 2 to 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. Beat the mixture for 2 minutes until it is aerated and very light in colour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the batter is evenly mixed at this point. You can beat it a little more to make sure.
Stir in the flour mixture on low speed, just until the flour is completely incorporated.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and smooth the top. Place the plum halves, cut side down (or up works too!), and pressing them slightly into batter. Scatter a few sliced almonds and some turbinado sugar on top (if using)
Bake the cake until the edges are golden brown and the plums are soft and releasing their juices. A cake tester comes out clean when inserted in the cake (avoiding the fruit). This could take as much as 90 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then release the cake from the springform pan.
Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Don’t use plums that are very soft. A slightly firmer Chilean plum will give you the best texture and will slice open beautifully so you can bake with them easily. The fruit will soften as it bakes and become even more juicy!
This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
Note that the baking time is quite long. The baking time may be less (about 60 minutes) if you place the plums cut-side up so the juices evaporate or if you use a larger pan like a 9-inch cake pan.
Let the colour of the cake as it bakes be your guide so you know how long to bake it! It takes well over an hour for it to turn golden brown and this ensures that the cake won't sink when it cools down. The surface will be set and the plums soft.
This is a very versatile cake and plums play really well with so many fun spices. Feel free to replace the cardamom with:
- ground anise
- ground cinnamon
- ground ginger
For a almond plum cake, you can use almond extract (1.25 mL or ¼ teaspoon) and replace a portion of the flour with the same weight of ground almonds (up to 60 grams or ½ cup).
- ground allspice