Simple to make and oh-so delicious, this easy Plum Cake is the perfect pudding to use up a glut of our families favourite seasonal fruit.
Usually when it comes to recipe ideas, I have them planned for months in advance. However, this Plum Cake is very much a spur of the moment. Last week my mother-in-law handed me two carrier bags – and a tub – full of plums!
Now, I did give one of the bags to Papa. And him and Granny have since taken another bag full – a sign of good plums I would say.
The boys ate an entire bag full here too. I didn’t even realise my kids liked plums before then. But another sign of very good plums it would seem.
And with such good quality plums available at my disposal (although I did need to stash some away before they were all eaten too!) it only seemed right to bake something plum-related.
I toyed with the idea of a crumble, or some sort of pie, but in the end decided to keep it super simple and came up with this easy Plum Cake. So if you’ve got a glut of plums too, hopefully this cake will be the delicious, simple pudding your family has been hoping for!
What is Plum Cake?
This Plum Cake makes a delicious pudding, or a sweet fruity snack. A light in texture, and sweet & vanilla in flavour sponge; with juicy, fresh plums sunken in the middle of each slice.
The plums do this magical thing whilst they bake where they become a little more tart in flavour and a lot more juicy & jammy in texture. Tasty on it’s own, or next-level when served with some ice cream or custard.
How do you make Plum Cake?
This is a super simple recipe for Plum Cake, meaning is is really quick & easy to bake.
We start with a basic sponge mixture – creaming sugar and butter together, before adding the eggs, and a little bit of vanilla. Next you sift in the flour and fold it all together to create a batter.
The batter is transferred to a cake tin (I like to use a square one for this recipe) and smoothed on top, before adding some halved plums to the top. A sprinkling of sugar on top helps the plums become even more tasty, as well as providing a nice sweet crispy top to the sponge as it bakes.
Simple as that! Easy enough to whip together alongside your tea, and you have the perfect pudding ready and waiting for after.
Ingredients:
Butter or Margarine
I find margarine to be better and more predictable for sponge cakes but it’s personal preference which you opt for. If using butter, just be sure to remove it from the fridge and allow it to soften before using.
Caster Sugar
The go-to sugar in a sponge cake. Finer than granulated sugar, so mixes in like a dream. You could use a Golden Caster if you prefer, giving the sponge a slightly less-sweet and more caramel-y flavour. I do think that would be lovely with the plums.
You’ll also need a spoonful to dust the top of your cake before baking – I’ve noted this in the recipe itself though.
Eggs
The size of the eggs doesn’t matter too much (I always use medium) but just be sure you’re using free-range eggs.
As with all ingredients when baking a sponge cake, ensure they are at room temperature before starting.
Vanilla Extract
I find the vanilla compliments the plums perfectly and just adds another level of flavour to this recipe. A vanilla extract is ideal but if you want to be a bit extra, you could use a Vanilla Bean Paste or a straight up vanilla pod.
Vanilla not your thing? You could try swapping it out for some Almond Extract instead.
Self-raising Flour
Again, flour is a must in a cake batter and self-raising is used here to allow it to rise. No additional raising agents are required but be sure to sift the flour when adding it to the batter.
Plums
The real star of the show! Bonus points if you can get them fresh from the tree. But if not, shop-bought will do just fine. The plums I used were more of the red variety but the purple work great too and give a whole different colour palette to your cake.
Granny's Top Tips
• It’s important that you have your plums halved and ready to use, for once you’ve prepared your cake batter. Cake’s don’t like to be left sitting for long before baking, so have your plums cut and ready to use, to avoid your cake sitting any longer than it needs to.
• This plum cake is best enjoyed shortly after baking. However it will keep in an air-tight container for a few days after baking, but the plums will continue to release some juice and cause the sponge to be a little soggy (but still tasty!). And the sweet crispy top that comes from sprinkling with sugar before baking will begin to soften a little too.
• Before buying plums at the supermarket, check local Facebook groups to see if anyone is giving any away. Most people who have plum trees in their gardens will have more plums than they could ever use. And they would much rather see them be used than rot in their garden!
Love this? Try this:
Plum Cake
Ingredients
- 175 g Butter or Margarine (at room temperature)
- 175 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Free-range Eggs (at room temperature)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 175 g Self-raising Flour
- 5 Plums
- 1 tbsp Caster Sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°c (160°c for fan assisted oven or Gas Mark 4) and line a square 7-inch cake tin with greaseproof paper. Set aside.
- Half your plums, discarding the stone and leaving the skins on. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter/margarine and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add your eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined before adding the next. Add the vanilla and mix through.
- Sift the in the flour, before gently folding through to create a smooth batter. Transfer the batter to your pre-lined cake tin, smoothing the top.
- Place your cut plums skin-down on top of the cake batter, pressing them down a little. I like to do 3 rows of 3 (nine plum halves in total) but you can lay them out however you like. Sprinkle the top of the cake with an additional tablespoon of caster sugar.
- Bake in your pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown and the plums look nice & jammy. Allow to cool in to the tin a little, before serving. Best enjoyed still slightly warm, with a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- For full ingredient explanations and substitutions, please see the Ingredients list in the post above.
2 Responses
I’ll definitely be having a go making this one as I have tons of halved plums in my freezer. Do you think I can make it with frozen halves or will the cake be soggy when cooked. By the way I love all your recipes as they’re easy to make. Our favorite at the moment is the date and walnut, it’s devine.
I’ve made this 3 times now and the plums keep sinking to the bottom what am i doing wrong