Plum cake recipe

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Our easy plum cake recipe takes 20 minutes to prepare and serves 12.

plum cake
(Image credit: Alamy)
Serves12
SkillEasy
Preparation Time20 mins
Cooking Time45 mins
Total Time1 hours 10 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories309 Kcal15%
Sugar17.5 g19%
Fat15.3 g22%
Saturated Fat9.1 g46%
Salt0.52 gRow 4 - Cell 2
Protein4.7 g9%
Carbohydrates38.2 g15%
Salt0.52 gRow 7 - Cell 2

This plum cake is 309 calories per portion and takes an hour and 10 minutes to make. 

Serve this cake in the afternoon alongside a fresh pot of tea or as a simple dessert with some double cream, either way we are sure it will be a hit with whoever you share it with. This recipe is perfect if you have lots of homegrown plums that are ripe and ready to use but will also work with peaches, apricots or nectarines too. 

Ingredients

  • 300g self-raising flour
  • 150g butter
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 100ml milk
  • 2 eggs
  • ½tsp almond extract
  • 8 plums, de-stoned and thickly sliced 

For the topping:

  • 50g butter
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 65g plain flour

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Lightly butter and line the base of a 20cm spring form cake tin . Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4).
  2. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Add the milk, eggs and almond extract and beat with an electric mixer to a stiff batter. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter over the plum slices evenly.
  3. For the topping: put the butter, sugar and flour in a mixing bowl and rub together until it forms clumpy crumbs. Scatter on top of the plums and bake for 45-55 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out cleanly. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely. Serve dusted with icing sugar, if you have it.

Top tips for making plum cake

You can also make a shallower tray bake with this mixture. Spread the cake mixture into a rectangular traybake tin and cook it for 25-30 minutes. When it is cold, cut it into squares or rectangles. If you like, add some ground cinnamon and ginger to the topping and cake batter for a lightly spiced flavour. Continue reading below for more tips and ideas. 

What is the difference between a fruit cake and a plum cake?

Fruit cake generally refers to a richly fruited, dense sponge cake made with lots of soaked dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and cherries. Our plum cake however is made from a simple cake batter and is topped with fresh slices of plum. 

How to stop plums sinking in plum cake?

If you have baked the cake and the plums sank to the bottom. Next time you bake it, try tossing the plum slices in a tablespoon of flour. This will help support them in the cake mixture and they should stay at the top of the cake. Also don’t pile the topping on too heavily. If you have any leftover, you can bake it on a tray lined with paper and enjoy it with yogurt for breakfast. 

What to serve with plum cake?

Our plum cake is delicious on it’s own but can quickly be elevated with a sprinkling of icing sugar. You could serve it warm with custard, cream or ice cream. For a lighter garnish try some thick Greek yogurt or even a scoop of creme fraiche to provide a tangy contrast to the sweet cake.

Save time and combine the topping ingredients in a food processor like this one from Ninja. Click here to read the full Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor review by Grace Holliday. 

Ninja 3 in 1 Food Processor - View at Amazon

Ninja 3 in 1 Food Processor - <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ninja-Processor-Auto-iQ-BN800UK-Silver/dp/B088TT3QW2?tag=georiot-trd-21&ascsubtag=hawk-custom-tracking-21&geniuslink=true" data-link-merchant="amazon.co.uk"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View at Amazon

It will take a matter of minutes, if not seconds, to blitz the flour, butter and sugar together in this clever food processor. The smallest jug will be big enough and is easy to clean after. 

If you still have lots of plums to get through, try making our classic plum crumble. This plum crumble cake is another popular bake or for something on the savoury scale, this plum chutney is great with cheese.