Plum Cake with Plum Sauce
A tall plum cake with soft fruit pieces and a warm plum sauce, baked in a springform tin for a generous slice at the table.
- Total
- 1 hr 17 min
- Prep
- 25 min
- Bake
- 52 min
- Level
- Medium
- Serves
- 10
- Tin
- 20 cm springform
This plum cake has a buttery crumb with soft pieces of fruit throughout, followed by a smooth plum sauce added at the table. The key point is to keep the batter full of air before the fruit goes in.
The cake is sized for a tall 20 cm springform tin, so it needs a longer bake than a thin single layer.
Ingredients
For one 20 cm springform, serves 10
For the cake
For the plum sauce
You will need
- 20 cm round springform tin
- baking paper
- large mixing bowl
- electric mixer or wooden spoon
- balloon whisk
- rubber spatula
- small saucepan
Oven
175°C fan 155°C 345°F
Method
Oven 175°C · fan 155°C · 345°F
Prepare the tin and oven
Line the base and sides of the springform tin with baking paper. Heat the oven to 175C, 155C fan. The lined tin should sit ready with no gaps around the paper.
Cream the butter and sugar
Beat the 145 g butter and 120 g caster sugar until the mixture looks pale, creamy and holds soft ridges from the beaters. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until the batter looks smooth and glossy.
Tip Cold butter leaves small lumps in the bowl, so the mixture should feel soft before beating.
Fold in the dry ingredients and fruit
Fold the 135 g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 40 g ground almonds, 5 g lemon zest and 1 tsp ground cinnamon into the bowl with the 35 ml milk until the batter is thick and pale. Fold in the 500 g plums until the fruit is spread through the mixture.
Tip Stop folding when no dry flour remains, as extra mixing can make the crumb heavy.
Fill the springform tin
Spoon the batter into the lined tin and level the surface with a spatula. The mixture should look thick, with plum pieces visible across the top.
Tip Press any large gaps between the fruit pieces closed with the spatula before baking.
Bake the cake
Bake for 48 to 55 minutes. A skewer pushed into the middle comes out with a few damp crumbs, and the top springs back when pressed lightly. The baked cake should smell of butter, fruit and cinnamon.
Tip Keep the cake in the oven until the centre feels set when gently touched.
Cool and release the cake
Leave the cake for 20 minutes in the tin, then remove the springform ring and transfer the cake to a plate. The sides should feel firm while the crumb inside is still soft.
Tip Wait until the ring is removed before making slices, as the warm cake is fragile.
Make the plum sauce
While the cake cools, cook the 250 g plums, 50 g caster sugar and 60 ml water in a saucepan until the fruit softens and the sauce looks smooth and glossy. Let it cool until warm and spoonable.
Serve the slices
Cut the cake into wedges and lift one slice from the whole cake. Pour the warm plum sauce over each slice at the table. The crumb should look moist with pieces of plum visible.
Tip Use a sharp knife and wipe it between cuts if the fruit sticks to the blade.
Baker's notes
- Use ripe but firm plums so the fruit keeps some shape after baking.
- The cake contains dairy, egg, gluten and nuts from the almonds.
- Ground almonds can be replaced with extra self-raising flour, but the crumb will be less tender.
- The sauce can be blended smooth or left with small pieces of softened plum.
Keeping it Keep the cake covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Store the plum sauce in the fridge and warm it gently before serving.
Questions, answered
Can I use different plums for this cake?
Yes, use plums that are ripe and firm enough to cut into wedges without collapsing.
Can I make the plum sauce ahead?
Yes, the sauce can be made before serving and warmed gently when the cake is ready.
Why is this cake baked in a springform tin?
The removable ring makes it easier to release this tall cake without breaking the soft fruit crumb.
Can I serve the cake without the sauce?
Yes, the cake can be sliced and served on its own, but the warm sauce adds extra plum flavour.
If it goes wrong
- It sank in the middleSeven causes, told apart by the shape of the crater.
- It came out raw in the centreBrown outside, wet inside, and how to rescue the one you are holding.
- The caramel seizedIt is almost always fixable. The lump re-melts.
