Plum Cake
An easy British Plum Cake made with a soft vanilla sponge, fresh plums that turn wonderfully jammy as they bake, and a crisp sugar topping. Simple, quick and perfect for using up a glut of ripe plums.
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Servings: 9 slices
INGREDIENTS
- 175 g Soft Margarine (or Butter) (at room temperature)
- 175 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Free-range Eggs (at room temperature; see Egg Size note below)
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 175 g Self-raising Flour (see Self-raising Flour note below)
- 4½ Plums (fresh)
- 1 tbsp Caster Sugar (for topping the cake)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F) and line a square 18cm (7 inch) tin with
greaseproof paper . Set aside. - Halve 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 in both colour and texture. Add your eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined before adding the next. Add the vanilla and mix through.
- Sift the flour into the bowl before gently folding it through to create a smooth batter. Transfer the batter to your pre-lined tin, smoothing the top.
- Place your cut plums skin-down on top of the cake batter, pressing them down just 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 preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, until the sponge is golden, springs back lightly when touched, and a skewer inserted into the sponge (rather than through a plum) comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Don't push the plums right into the cake batter. You only want to press them into place gently, as they will sink into the sponge as it bakes. If you push them too far, they will sink right to the bottom of your cake.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
Egg Size: I use mixed-weight free-range eggs. If you're unsure which size to buy, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. This is what the recipe has been tested with.
Self-raising Flour: Don't have self-raising flour? For this recipe, whisk together 175g (1⅓ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour and 2¼ teaspoons baking powder instead. For more information and cup conversions, see my Self-raising Flour Ingredient Guide.
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