Plum Cake Celebration

This cake is a New York Times original. It’s their most requested recipe. During plum season I make 20-30 cakes. It helps to have a friend with a plum tree! Anywho, it is so good, and happily it freezes well. Which is why I have five cakes ready to go for my book launch party. I am having so much fun sharing Quest: A Pilgrimage to Be Still & Know with the world. It’s time to stop and have a little cake before I keep going.

And now the recipe:

Beat together well:

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter and 1 cup sugar

Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time

Mix in 1 tsp each almond and vanilla extracts

In a separate bowl sift together 2 cups flour and 4 tsps baking powder and set aside

Butter (grease) an 8 or 9 inch springform pan

Set oven temp to 375°

Pit and quarter enough small plums for about 30-50 quarters (about 12-15 plums or 1.5 pounds)

On a low mixer speed add the flour/baking powder mixture to the egg/butter mixture

Scrape the bowl and mix again. The batter will be very stiff

Get batter into springrom pan using a spatula to smooth it out

Stand the plums on end in the batter mixture (I use a concentric circle pattern)

Don’t let the plums touch the edges of the pan or each other.

Mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the cake (it will seem like too much, use it ALL this makes a yummy crust on top)

Bake for 35-45 minutes or till golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean in the center

Cool in the pan then spring it and enjoy!

This cake freezes very well, up to 6 months! If wrapped in plastic and foil.