Italian Plum Cake turns a simple mix of ingredients into a rich plum cake recipe dotted with jammy baked plums and topped with a craggly cinnamon sugar crust with chewy crisp edges.
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Plum cake recipe
This recipe was originally developed to using small, dense-fleshed prune plums that come toward the end of summer.
When Italian prune plums are in season as summer is coming to an end I try to harvest as many as possible. This simple plum cake is always the first thing that comes out of the kitchen – a double batch to make sure there’s enough to both snack on while still warm and serve for dessert later topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Sometimes I will even make a few double batches and freeze several to take out months later in the depth of winter when the sweet flavor of summer is a welcome distraction from the long dark months in the Pacific Northwest. And a reminder that summer will be here again soon. During the holidays I’ll warm up a Xmas plum cake and call it a sugar plum cake.
The cake batter is rich and super thick. Made from a simple mix of ingredients – butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and salt topped with fresh plums and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. There’s something about the simple mix of plum cake ingredients that creates the most divine rich cake with a crispy crust that is not too sweet and perfectly balanced with the jammy baked in plums. It’s not a cobbler or a plum upside down cake but it’s very similar to both.
Feel free to play around with the classic recipe ingredients. Add a splash of vanilla or even rum or almond extract to add a nice flavor to the simple cake batter. Or sprinkle the batter with coarse sugar, top with sliced almonds to make an almond plum cake. You could even make a delicious plum crumble cake and top with a classic crumble before baking.
There’s many ways to make and serve this cake and they’re all delicious.
Ingredients
- Italian plums
- Butter
- Sugar
- Flour
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon sugar – optional
Step by step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Wash and prepare plums by slicing in half and removing the pit (or you can simply do this later when placing the plums on top of the batter).
- Whip butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, at least a minute using a stand mixer on medium high. Scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add eggs and whip until combined.
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients, beating only until the mixture comes together. The batter will be thick.
- Spread batter into an ungreased 8 or 9 inch square or round baking dish, pie pan or a springform pan. Arrange plum halves, skin side up, on top of the batter. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for about for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Cool slightly and either serve immediately or remove from pan and store covered at room temperature for several days. Cake will release from pan easier when slightly warm rather than completely cooled.
- Enjoy!
How to serve
Served slightly cooled either as is or with a dusting of powdered sugar to add a beautiful contrast to the deep purple baked plums. Top with a dollop of greek yogurt, whipped cream or ice cream. Or serve completely plain.
How to store
Stored covered at room temperature this plum cake will stay good for up to 3 days. Or tightly wrap in plastic and freezer bags and store frozen for up to a year. Simply defrost and pop in a warm oven for several minutes to revive the frozen cake.
What else to do with Italian plums?
Aside from making a few quadruple batches of this plum cake to enjoy and freeze for later you can also make plum jam and water bath can it for later. Or dehydrate the Italian plums to make the most delicious homemade prunes.
You can also freeze a few batches of Italian plum prunes flat on parchment lined baking sheets and transfer them to freezer bags and store frozen for up to a year. Use the frozen prunes to make Italian this cake, fruit cobbler, fruit baked oatmeal, etc all year long.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 large eggs
- 10 medium italian plums pitted and halved
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Wash and prepare plums by slicing in half and removing the pit.
- Whip butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, at least a minute using a stand mixer on medium high. Scraping down the sides as needed.½ cup salted butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs and whip until combined.2 large eggs
- Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce speed and add dry ingredients, beating only until the mixture comes together. Batter will be thick.1 cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 pinch salt
- Spread the batter into an ungreased 8 or 9 inch square or round baking dish, pie pan or a springform pan. Arrange the plum halves, skin side up, on top of the batter in concentric circles. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.10 medium italian plums, 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar
- Place in preheated oven and bake for about for 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool slightly and serve.
Nutrition
Tristin Rieken
This plum cake recipe is such a great way to preserve Italian prunes when they’re available! Simply bake a few batches of the cake and store frozen until ready to enjoy!