Plum and Almond Cake

This plum and almond cake is super easy to make and would be perfect with a warm cup of tea or coffee. Soft, moist and spongy bake studded with sweet and juicy plums, topped with fragrant and crunchy toasted almonds.

Hello friends and happy Autumn!

As we wave goodbye to summer for another year, I’m naturally starting to crave all things cosy. Baked goodies (no change there!), stews, soups, endless cups of tea and chunky knits… you’ve got a picture. So, what a better way to kick off the new season, than with a warm, cosy and delicious cake, right?!?

Plum and almond cake- easy autumnal bake

Plums are currently in season, and they are one of my favourite fruits to bake with. When baked, they turn into this sweet, sticky, jammy goodness and I just love their wonderful flavour. Also, I just happen to think that plums and almonds go superbly together (try my Plum and Almond Pie, if you’re not sure!).

There are two things I really love about this cake. Firstly, it’s really easy to make and requires only 9 ingredients (not counting the salt and water). Secondly, its texture. Moist, soft and spongy, studded with juicy plums. Ground almonds in cake batter add lovely texture and is what keeps this cake so moist.

It’s literally one of my favourite bakes at this time of the year, although the recipe is very versatile and good enough to use all-year-round. It can be adapted with any type of fruit, so feel free to experiment!

Simple ingredients to make the plum and almond cake

As mentioned above, only 9 ingredients are necessary to bake this yummy cake. The obvious one- plums. I always go for Victoria plums or Damsons, as I just love their colours and sweet flesh, but any type will work just fine.

You will also need almonds! There are two types required, ground almonds and flaked almonds. Ground ones will be added to the cake batter, and flaked almonds will go on top of finished cake (adding a nice crunch!). Other than that, you will need some butter, softened to room temperature, golden caster sugar, self-raising flour, eggs, almond essence and a bit of plum conserve or jam.

Golden caster sugar can be replaced with traditional, white caster. I simply use golden caster as it adds this gentle, buttery flavour to bakes. Also, in case if you do not have any self-rising flour, you can easily make your own. Simply add 2 tsp of baking powder for each 150 g (1 cup) of plain flour.

How to make this plum cake

As with any cake, you will need a good baking tin. In this recipe I’m using a 20 cm round cake tin with loose bottom (you can also use loaf tin). Make sure to grease it and line it up with baking parchment for easy removal of the cake.

Start with the plums. Cut 150 g of plums into roughly a 1 cm chunks. The rest of them will need to be cut into wedges, they will decorate the top of the cake.

Cream the butter and caster sugar together, using an electric mixer, until they are pale and fluffy in texture, then add the eggs, one at a time. Don’t worry if the mixture curdles a bit. Add the almond essence and mix again. In a separate, large bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds and add a medium-size pinch of fine salt. Fold it into the egg mixture and stir until just combined. Try not to over-mix it.

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Now, spoon a little bit of cake batter into the cake tin. Enough to just cover the bottom of it. Add chunks of plums then cover it with the remaining batter. You can also fold the chunks of plums into the remaining batter and then spread it on top.

Finish off by arranging the plum wedges on top of the cake and bake it at 170 C for about 50 minutes or until risen and golden on top and the toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave it in the tin for about 10 minutes, then remove it from the tin and transfer into a cooling rack to cool it completely.

Ready to serve?

When you are ready to serve the cake, place a small pan on a medium heat and add flaked almonds. Toast them until golden brown and fragrant, then remove from the pan. Add plum jam with 1 tbsp of water into the pan and heat it through. Brush the jam on top of the cake and finish it off by sprinkling the toasted almonds on top.

You can serve it with some cream, creme fraiche, ice cream or simply on its own. Cup of a warm beverage is highly recommended with this bake!

Can I freeze this cake?

You can! After baking it, make sure the cake has cooled fully then wrap it in a double layer of clingfilm or plastic wrap and a layer of foil. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw it, simply take it out of the freezer, unwrap and place on a wire rack at room temperature. It should take about 2- 3 hours.

As always, thanks for stopping by and reading today’s post! You can also catch me on my Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Have a great week ahead and until next time!

Anna

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