Fresh Plum Cake
This fresh plum cake is soft and buttery. It has beautiful pockets of jammy baked plums throughout and it’s perfectly spiced. Just a few simple ingredients and a pound of plums are all you need to make this delicious and easy recipe.
Why this recipe is so great:
- Moist and tender cake – The texture of this cake is soft, fluffy, and super moist.
- Loaded with chunks of plums – The highlight of this cake is the gorgeous red pockets of soft-baked plums.
- Crunchy sugary crust – Not only does the sugary top crust add contrast to the softness of the cake, but it balances the tartness of the fruit.
- Symphony of flavors – This cake is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves that make for a harmony of flavors along with the vanilla and fresh fruit.
How to make plum cake:
(the ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card further below)
- In a medium bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the unsalted butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk until just combined.
- Spread the batter into a greased 9″ springform pan.
- Arrange the plums on top and generously sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350F for about an hour.
Expert tip:
Select plums that are ripe but firm. Choose ones that you would enjoy eating fresh for the best flavor. You don’t have to remove the skin, as it softens when it’s baked and gives the cake a vibrant pop of color.
How to store:
Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How to freeze:
Once the cake is completely cooled, double wrap in aluminum foil or saran wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the counter before serving.
This plum cake is excellent served for breakfast, brunch, or with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
You might also like:
- Rhubarb Coffee Cake
- Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Cake
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Did you make this recipe? Please kindly leave a comment with your star rating below.
Fresh Plum Cake
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8-10 plums, about a pound pitted and quartered
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9″ springform pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss together the flour and baking powder.1 & 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour, 1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Toss in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp salt
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar
- Then beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture at a time to the wet ingredients, alternating with 1/2 the milk, mixing at low speed until just combined and smooth.Â1/2 cup milk
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plums on top and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar on top.8-10 plums, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the springform edge and let cool on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
Notes
Recipe very slightly adapted from Once Upon A Chef.
This reminds me of my late father-in-law’s German plum cake; it was so delicious! Although he was using another purple and longer type of plum. I am going to try this version out to honour him!
wow this fresh plum cake is soft and moist. I love that it is a little tart and sweet. Very addicting
Thank you, Nancy! So glad you liked it:)
I found a basket of perfectly ripe plums at the market. And since I had last minute guests visiting I wanted an easy cake to make for dessert. Everyone commented on how moist and tasty the cake was.
Thank you and happy to hear that you and your guests enjoyed the cake!
What a great little cake. It’s moist and tender PLUS it’s so easy to make. I didn’t have plums so I used apricots and it was still amazing!
I love baking with plums at this time of year! This cake was easy to put together and delicious – hardest part was waiting for it to bake!
Thank you! Glad you liked it:)
My second Fresh Plum Cake, this week, is in the oven as I write this. This is such a tasty treat and a wonderful use of plums. I used the dark blue plums and they were wonderful. This is my new favourite cake. Easy to make. Flavour of the spices is wonderful with the tangy and sweet plums. My son who dislikes plums really likes this cake. I totally recommend people try this cake! THANKS for the great recipe!
You’re very welcome, Sheila! I’m so happy to hear that you and your son love the cake. Enjoy!
Hi Lily,
Love your site, been following it for some time. I finally got around to baking this torte with some ripe Niagara plums. Wow! It was fabulous. The plums did indeed caramelize into little pools of jammy goodness. I tweaked it slightly (reduced the sugar by 15% and subbed 20% of the AP flour with unbleached soft wheat flour as well as used demerara sugar to sprinkle on the plums) and it was spectacular. I will be baking this again soon!
You’re very welcome and thank you for your kind words:) Enjoy the cake!
This cake was easy and delicious, I will definitely make again!
So glad you liked it and thank you for your kind words!
Can you make this in a glass dish vs a springform pan?
You can, just make sure it’s a deep dish. Enjoy the cake!
It’s been one week since I discovered this recipe and I have already made it twice! It is phenomenal! My family has a beautiful plum tree in the yard, but the plums come small and are quite sour, even when they are very ripe. This recipe blew our socks off even with those (less than desirable) plums! Definitely a recipe to keep. Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Cinzia! You’re so lucky. I wish I had a plum tree. It would be plum everything, lol. Thank you for your kind words!
I would love to make this recipe except there are no measurements listed.
The full recipe is just above this comment section.
This cake was absolutely delicious, and so quick to put together!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I’m so glad you liked it:)
Could you use frozen plums instead?
I’ve never made this cake with frozen plums, but I don’t see why not. I recommend thawing the plums so the cake doesn’t take forever to bake. I hope you enjoy the cake and let me know how it is with frozen plums.