Plum Cake Adventure

Much has changed in the long stretch since my last post. For months, food was a minefield. Recently I dusted literal spiderwebs from around the fridge in our narrow kitchen and felt thankful to be able to eat so many delicious ingredients again.

Peak stone fruit season ended early in California this year, but late-season red plums are still appearing in our favorite local grocery store. Their sourness works well in this sweet tender cake, which I adapted from Deb Perelman and Marian Burros recipes for purple plum torte.

Both iterations called for small Italian prune plums halved and placed in the batter skin side up. In an early attempt, the sweeter plum flavors got lost. Those particular plums tasted far better on their own. Smitten Kitchen commenters helpfully suggested lemon zest, cardamom, and placing regular plum pieces cut side up. Sounds like a lot, but the additions served to boost the cake’s flavor rather than overwhelm it. I also dialed back the cinnamon since ours is quite potent. The fruit turns nice and jammy in the pan overnight.

Both Deb Perelman and Marian Burros called it a torte. However, the result wasn’t as layered or dense or rich as my previous experiences with tortes. So let’s just go with “cake.” Or, uh, “breakfast.” A slice pairs well with coffee.

Autumn Plum Cake
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen and Marian Burros

1 C. (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 stick salted butter, softened at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 C. (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (5 grams) baking powder
Lemon zest, grated on a microplane
½ tsp. vanilla paste*
¼ tsp. ground cardamom
5 regular red plums, pitted and quartered
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice collected after zesting
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar

*If you don’t have vanilla paste, you can use 1 tsp. vanilla extract instead.

Special tools: 9-inch nonstick springform pan; cooling rack. A cake lifter is optional but helpful.

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch springform with butter or nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and lighter in color. Add the eggs, one by one, and scrape down the bowl. Add some lemon zest. I probably put in around 1/2 teaspoon.

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and ground cardamom. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet batter and mix it until just combined. Stir in the vanilla paste.

Pit and quarter the plums, and place the pieces in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle them with the cinnamon. You can use more or less, depending on your preference. Juice part of the zested lemon to get approximately 2 teaspoons. Add the lemon juice to the plum pieces and mix gently with a spoon to coat them evenly.

Spoon the batter into the greased or oiled springform pan and smooth the top. It won’t look like much and that’s fine. Arrange the plum pieces tightly in the pan, cut sides facing up, covering the batter completely. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top.

Bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into a central area away from the plum comes out free from batter, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Once the cake is completely cool, cover it with a plate and leave at room temperature overnight. As Deb rightly noted, this cake is much better the next day. The cut cake can be stored in a sealed container or under a glass bowl at room temperature for several days.