A French-style plum cake with almond flour, plenty of plums, and a hint of cinnamon. This easy cake is a little rich and not too sweet, just right for plum season. You can use any type of plums (common round, prune plums, or even Mirabelle).
For more stone fruit recipes, try a simple cherry peach crisp, sweet cherry blondies, or apricot pie.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Plums: the fruit should be ripe but still a bit firm, not too soft. Be sure to remove any bruised or damaged sections.
- Almond flour: there is a slight difference between almond flour and almond meal. Choose flour for a lighter cake.
- Cinnamon: cardamom is a nice substitute for cinnamon.
- Make it gluten-free: use a good gluten-free flour blend to replace the plain flour.
- Make it dairy-free: use a good vegan butter that comes in stick or block form to replace the butter. We like Miyoko's or Naturli.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Method
Step 1: mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Step 2: cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs.
Step 3: add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.
Step 4: transfer the batter to a cake pan and top with plum slices.
Step 5: sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Step 6: bake until lightly golden and cool before serving.
Top Tips
- Slice the plums: halved standard plums sink right into the batter (the original recipe is made with prune plums, which are much smaller). Sliced standard plums add a different texture and you get plum in every bite.
- Stick with a 9-inch pan: any smaller and the cake will be dry around the edges before the middle cooks through. A 10-inch pan is okay, but you'll have to reduce the baking time a bit, so keep an eye on it.
- Use different colours: if you want a little extra boost for looks and a slight flavour difference, you can use two different colours of plums. You won't notice that much after the cinnamon topping is added, though, so don't go out of your way to get several plum types.
Recipe Notes
If you want to reduce the sugar to a half-cup, you can, but note that the cake will be a little dry. (Sugar acts as a liquid in baking.) Balance that out by serving with Chantilly cream or yogurt.
This recipe is adapted from the famous plum torte from the New York Times.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days. If your home is warm, refrigerate instead.
Freezing: transfer the fully cooled cake to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. Note that the plums can be a little soggy after being frozen.
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French Plum Cake
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Hand or stand mixer
- 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Topping
- 3 standard plums, halved and sliced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Set aside.
- Mix the flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup almond flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, a couple of minutes with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.¾ cup sugar, ½ cup butter, 2 large eggs
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. A few streaks of flour are fine.
- Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Arrange the plum slices in a spiral pattern over the batter.3 standard plums
- Mix the extra cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the plums.½ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons sugar
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. The edges will be golden.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before removing the sides of the springform, then cool fully on a wire rack before serving. Leftovers can be kept in a sealed container for a couple of days, but the cake is best served the day it's baked.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided as a courtesy. For precise nutritional data, please calculate it independently using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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