This cake is tart from summer ripe plums, and a little sweet. My Almond Plum Cake is perfect for snacking on, or when you want something light and fresh after a heavy meal. The glaze seeps into the cake making this moist and delicious!
It's the end of summer, and fruits and vegetables are still fantastic. Take plums, for instance. There is a variety in the stores right now, which makes my husband very happy. He loves plums! So, when I came up with this cake, I thought he would like a change of dessert choice. He is a chocoholic, and has chocolate ice cream every night! But sometimes he will stray from his usual routine if I have baked something. I don't usually have time to make sweets, but lately, I have been on the weekend. I am trying to offer a wider variety of recipes on the blog.
My husband doesn't usually like dessert with nuts, but this dessert, he didn't complain, maybe because there are just thinly, sliced almonds on the top, and not throughout the cake part. Anyway, I am glad he enjoyed it. And I hope you do as well.
I used a mixture of all-purpose flour and almond flour in this recipe. The almond flour lightens up the batter and gives it a lovely pale yellow color. As for the plums, there is no need to remove the skin from the plums. The cake bakes for an hour. So, when the cake is completely cooled, the skin has softened, along with the fruit's meat. When I made this cake, a couple of plums weren't as ripe as the others. It ended up working fine in this recipe.
After the cake has cooled, there is a glaze spooned on top with the sliced almonds. The glaze seeps into the cake, making it sweet and moist. Count on this cake lasting about two to three days, unrefrigerated, if it makes it that long. It may last longer if refrigerated.
Until next time, friends! XO
Almond Plum Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 ripe plums, cut in half, stone removed
For Almond Glaze:
1/3 cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon cream
1/4 cup of sliced almonds
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom insert of a 9-inch springform pan. Grease the sides and bottom, and place parchment paper on the bottom. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350°.
Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract, and mix into the batter. Next, add eggs, one at a time, and mixing well in between each addition. Then, with the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients.
Pour batter into prepared pan, and spread it evenly. Next, place the plum halves on top. Place the cake pan on a cookie sheet or sheet pan. Position the oven rack in the middle and bake the cake for 1 hour.
Allow the cake to cool completely. Once the cake has cooled, mix the powdered sugar with almond extract and cream. Drizzle the glaze on the cake, and scatter the almonds on top.