Late Summer Plum Cake
JSCooks
Photo by Bobbi Lin
- Serves
- 8
- Prep Time
- 30 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 Minutes
I developed this recipe for my book, *Farmers' Market Desserts*. But because I tend to write long recipes, including every detail the reader might need, space ran short and this one fell victim to the editorial axe. A recent windfall of plums from a friend’s tree reminded me it was time to make this cake.
I originally developed the recipe using the small, dense-fleshed prune plums that come toward the end of summer. This time, my fruit bowl was filled with juicy Flavor Rosa and Yummy Rosa varieties, some still firm, others soft. With these larger plums, I needed only five or six of them, and because they were juicier, the cake took a bit longer to bake (and turned out seductively moist).
I have been on a lemon verbena kick ever since putting the plant in my herb garden. If you don’t have any, substitute a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh lemon balm or lemon thyme, or ½ teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest. —JSCooks
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 medium-size fresh lemon verbena leaves or ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- 12 small to medium, firm-ripe prune plums, halved lengthwise and pitted
- Lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream or crème fraîche, for serving (optional)
Featured Video
Late Summer Plum Cake
Fresh plums, which are at their peak in summertime, don't need much to shine—just a pillowy batter to encase them, to catch their juices, and a little sweetness to joust with their tartness. The batter for JSCooks's cake is scented with sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon (either fresh verbena leaves if you can find them, or grated lemon zest, which is much more accessible). She uses lemon verbena leaves; we went for the substitute, lemon zest, and the cake did not suffer for it, which means yours won’t either. Sour cream adds a welcome richness, and its tang offsets some of the sweetness from the fruit and added sugar (both granulated and brown sugar are used here).
Admittedly, this cake takes a while to bake—a full 50 minutes, plus 20 minutes of resting time. It’s not the recipe to pick when you’re already running late for the family picnic and forgot you offered to bring dessert. But for every other moment, when you’re on your game, it’s the epitome of a sweet summer snack.
As for serving, do go the extra mile and make fresh whipped cream or buy some crème fraîche (it just depends whether you’re looking for more or less sweetness). Our favorite whipped cream recipe comes from Nancy Silverton and is really the best of both worlds—it calls for 1 cup of whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of crème fraîche; whip the cream in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until it begins to thicken, then gently fold in the crème fraîche by hand, exercising caution so as to not deflate the freshly formed peaks. For a cake like this, we prefer the whipped cream to have soft peaks, rather than stiff, tight peaks. The lucid, creamy texture is easy on the eyes and encases each forkful of cake. Serve it with ice cream, too, because why not? It’s the dog days of summer, and we need every bit of cool that we can get.
Directions
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the lower third. Butter a 9x2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and butter the parchment. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.
- Step 2
Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside. Stack the lemon verbena leaves (if using), roll up tightly lengthwise, and cut them crosswise into fine ribbons. You will want 2 to 3 packed teaspoons.
- Step 3
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a handheld mixer), beat together the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light, about 5 minutes. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and reserved lemon verbena (or lemon zest) until well combined. On low speed, add the flour mixture just until combined. (The batter will be thick.)
- Step 4
Spread half of the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and top with 12 of the plum halves, cut side down. Dollop and spread the remaining batter over the plums. Arrange the remaining 12 plum halves, cut side up, over the top. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar over the plums.
- Step 5
Bake until the cake is golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (assuming you haven’t hit a plum), 50 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan front to back a little past halfway through baking. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
- Step 6
Run a thin knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake sides. Invert a flat plate over the pan. Using oven mitts if needed, grasp the plate and pan tightly together on both sides and invert the plate and pan to release the cake onto the plate. Lift off the pan and peel off the parchment. Invert the cake again onto a serving plate.
- Step 7
Serve warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream, if desired.