Okay, this cake also goes by the name of torte. I’m not sure why, but truthfully I couldn’t care less. This is a good cake with a good New York Times lineage. If you haven’t made it already, I’m not sure what you’re waiting for. I got this recipe from the always reliable Tim and it’s a keeper for all that summer fruit that might be lingering in your fruit drawer. Or try apples and cranberries for a taste of fall.
Plums? Nectarines? I know there are still plenty around at the markets. Maybe some concord or coronation grapes might work here too! It’s a pretty simple cake to put together which makes it the ideal thing to serve when you’ve got company coming. No need for ice cream or whipped cream here. Really. REALLY. I tried this with ice cream and it was just too much. It’s a lovely, dense cake bursting with jammy fruit. It’s all you need.
Everyone needs cake. Sometimes rainy Tuesdays call for cake. Bad awful months call for cake. And truthfully, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. I’ve been to the emergency, saw my family doctor and last week had an EMG test and saw a neurologist. Weird symptoms that mimicked MS had me freaking out and thankfully I’ve been given a clean bill of health. Super, super healthy, hooray! Except for the fact that whatever has been going on with my body has been the result of stress and anxiety. I’m a worrier. I take after my mom, I guess, who was the ultimate worrier. So I’ve been stressed and clearly haven’t been dealing with it. But I know I’ll work it out, I’ve got a good husband/family/friends at the ready along with whatever resources I can round up. And there’s butter and sugar and the last of the summer plums which means cake. This cake!
This cake is buttery, rich and is charming to look at. You’ll wow whoever is eating it with you. Have a slice and pretend you’re in a sunny French countryside, away from the rain and chill of late September. Eat it for breakfast along with your morning coffee. And then make it again soon. Don’t forget.
simple plum cake
Recipe from Lotte + Doof1 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
3/4 c granulated sugar plus 1-2 tablespoons more
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
5-8 Italian prune plums
2 t fresh lemon juice
1 t ground cinnamonPreheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a larger bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Batter will be thick.
Spread batter into a lightly buttered & floured* 9-inch cake pan and smooth the top. Cut the plums in half and remove the pits. If the halves are large cut them into quarters. Arrange the plums, skin side up, over the batter. Add as many plums that can fit or be a bit more reserved with your plum dotting like I was. Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, then cinnamon, then the remaining sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack completely before serving.
* I buttered & floured the pan, but apparently you can try skipping the step as the original recipe calls for – if you use a springform pan, that is.
Print This Recipe
Plums are definitely better with cake! This sounds great!
I’ve made this and it is certainly one of the BEST cakes out there! And so simple, too.
This is my kind of cake; it looks absolutely delicious! And yes, Tim is a very reliable recipe source. I’m glad your tests all turned out okay 🙂
So glad to hear that your test results were good. Sorry to hear that you’ve had a rough month. I’m a worrier too– it can be tough to turn that “worry switch” off in your brain.
This cake looks great! I might try it with Concord grapes.
Agreed, Katrina. Thanks!
Joanne, I wondered why I hadn’t heard about this until now. I’m happy to be in the loop.
Thanks Donna, it’s a great recipe 🙂
Thanks Gretchen, crawling out of my brain is a hard thing to do and i know it’s a common problem. Stress!!! Agh. But yes, do make this cake with grapes – I’m sure it would be wonderful!
Love that this cake has such a strong lineage. New York Times is good enough for me. Bookmarking this to try soon – maybe I can still get some plums! I think time’s running out this season.
Love this type of simple cake letting the fruit shine. Definitely going to make it.
Major worrier here!!! As I began to read your post, I thought to myself, it must be stress. She doesn’t have MS, it’s definitely stress. I’m so glad for you that it turned out to be stress-induced symptoms and not MS! I went through a similar experience a few years back. Extreme stress resulted in symptoms mimicking all kinds of neurological disorders. Suffice to say, after seeing a neurologist and having an MRI, the test results showed nothing but an extreme case of anxiety and stress. Mind you, long term stress is nothing to sneeze at but it is a sigh of relief and way more manageable than having MS.
This cake sounds heavenly. I’m going to try and make it using gluten-free flour because I was recently diagnosed with antibodies specific to a celiac disease. Yeah, huge shocker! Feeling so much better after going off wheat and gluten. But still, the news sucks big balls.
Rivki, hurry! Or just use apples 🙂 I’m sure it’s pretty adaptive to every season.
Thanks Catherine.
Joanne, how bizarre that stress can manifest in different ways. Glad you’re feeling better now. If you do try this cake with g/f flour, please report back!
Yes, I will give it a try soon and let you know.
C’est magnifique. J’adore la recette.
I love plums! I definitely want to try this. Thank you 🙂