Rustic turned pretty, Plum Good Almond Cake is a no-fuss plum cake with a sugary top and toasted sliced almonds while the cake inside is tender moist. Everyone will love this cake whether it is for breakfast as a coffee cake or dessert cake for supper. Thin sliced ripe plums adds to the garnish in a circular direction on top this delicious almond flavored cake.
Make this Plum Good Almond Cake Rustic or Elegant
If you enjoy more of a rustic feel for a cake, no worries, you can slice a few fresh ripe plums with skins in tact and place any direction you want on top of the batter before baking. The cake batter itself is so simple to put together and you will probably have all the ingredients you need in your pantry, except maybe buttermilk.
For an elegant special dessert or coffee cake, layer the sliced plums in a circle as the photo shows on top of the raw batter, then bake to perfection. Once baked, remove excess baked crumbs from some of the unsightly crevices and add a few almond slices. I used a thin wooden skewer to remove some of the crumbs. Whats great about plums, they hold their juice, meaning when you slice the cake you won’t see juice bleed through within the cake. Also…. the batter for this cake is firm enough to hold the weight of the sliced plums so they stay on top of the cake during and after baking. Yeah! Make a pretty coffee cake or dinner dessert.
Ingredient Overview for Plum Almond Cake
Salted Butter, tested Land a Lakes
Eggs
Granulated sugar
Buttermilk
Vanilla, almond and lemon Extract
Firm ripe fresh plums
All Purpose Flour
Almond Flour
Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Sea Salt
Confectioner’s Sugar
Coarse sparkling sugar
How to Make Plum Good Almond Cake
1. Prep the 9″ springform pan with cooking spray, coat all sides and bottom of pan. You can also use a 9″ cast iron skillet. Springform pan will make it easier to remove as not to mess up the pretty plum arrangement on the top. The cake sides will also be a pretty golden brown a nice contrast to the plum topping. Set aside pan.
Tip: Preheat standard oven to 375° F. You can also use convection oven but set temperature at 350 for baking cakes.
2. Wash 5 medium plums (for covering entire cake with plum slices) or use 3 medium plums for random placement a more rustic look. Do not peel the plums, but cut in half, gently remove the seed and slice halves into thin slices, thick enough to see the skin edge with layering but thin enough for even cooking. Set aside.
3. Measure flours using lightly scoop and level method, meaning you will be using a spoon to spoon the flour into the dry measuring cup and when excess flour reaches over the top of the cup, use the back of a table knife to level it off. See this link that is highlighted by King Arthur flour. Repeat this method with the Almond Flour, if almond flour has lumps, sift or whisk the flour before measuring.To the flours add baking powder and baking soda, with sea salt. Whisk together to combine and set aside. Level baking powder, soda and salt in measuring spoons for accuracy.
Tip: If you scoop the flour then level off in dry measuring cup you will be getting more flour than you need and will cause your cake to be drier. It could also cause you to add more flour and more liquid and never getting it in the right proportion/consistency.
4.Measure buttermilk in a liquid measuring cup and reading the level poured at eye level for best results. Most liquid measuring cups will be glass and have a pouring spout. To the buttermilk, add all the extracts.
5. In large mixing bowl of stand mixer with beater attachment (or you can use a hand mixer with beaters) cream together softened butter and granulated sugar for 3 minutes. Add room temperature eggs one at time, beating after each addition until eggs are combined with butter mixture.
6.Pour batter into prepared pan, arrange plum slices, sprinkle with coarse sugar and bake for 40 -45 minutes. Add toasted almond slices once cake is removed from oven after baking in random pattern. Watch cake as not to burn the plums, tent with foil if needed to prevent over browning after 30 minutes.
Plum Good Almond Cake
Moist tender almond flavored cake with fresh plum slices arranged on top of cake as a garnish. Easy cake to make and bake, fresh plums will not bleed into cake. For more rustic plum good almond cake, use less plums to scatter on top of cake instead of all over plum layering design.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40-45 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract or fresh lemon juice
1–1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup almond flour
1–1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch (for extra tenderness)
Plum Good Topping:
5 large firm ripe plums, pitted, sliced into 1/4″ thin slices (for rustic look, use 2–3 plums)*
3 tablespoons coarse sugar
1/4 cup toasted almond slices, whole pieces for garnish-optional
Garnish: Fresh whipped cream, or dust with confectioner’s sugar and toasted almond slices
Whipped Cinnamon Cream-serves 4 recipe can be doubled
1/2 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon- optional
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray 9″ round springform pan with baking spray or coat with softened butter, lightly coat with flour.
- In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, whisk together set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and sugar, beat on medium speed 3-4 minutes to combine. Add eggs one at a time, mixing to combine.
- Add half of the buttermilk including all extracts, beat to combine.
- Add reserved flour mixture and remaining buttermilk. Beat on low speed just to blend flour into batter. Do not over beat batter.Scape down bowl to make sure all ingredients are well mixed. Batter will be thick.
- Pour batter into prepared springform pan, smooth top.
- Arrange plum slices beginning around the outer edge of cake pan in circular fashion until top is covered. If you want a rustic look*, cut only 2-3 plums into 1/4″ slices and arrange plum fans in random fashion over the top of unbaked batter.
- Sprinkle top of cake, coarse sugar if desired. Add almond slices after cake is baked in pretty design between some plum slices. If you bake the cake with almonds they will brown too quickly.
- Bake cake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean inserted in center of cake. Allow cake to cool, release side of cake pan after 10 minutes. To help release cake, run a sharp knife around the outside edges of the cake. Place cake on serving cake stand or plate. Serve with fresh whipped cream
Cinnamon Whipped Cream: In medium mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment, add chilled heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and ground cinnamon. Whip until semi firm peaks. Serve immediately. Recipe can be doubled or tripled. Store in refrigerator in covered container if you have leftovers. Re-whip when needed for serving.
Notes
Plum cake can be elegant with plums all over the top of the batter or you can slice 2-3 plums in fans and arrange randomly over the top of the cake batter.
To keep Plum juice from bleeding into the batter as it bakes make sure you blot the plum slices between paper towels before adding to cake top.
Other Ideas You Might Like to Try:
Tender moist almond cake that tastes like a coffee cake. The added fresh plums creates a pretty design on top of the cake great for dessert or breakfast cake. You will enjoy this almond cake it is Just Plum Good!