Purple Plum Cake

It seems like lately I can’t get enough of fruit filled cakes- first this apple cake, and now this. But the truth is, besides for being delicious, they’re versatile like no other cake is, especially during fall, when you want cozy treats that can double as breakfast and dessert.
This plum cake is one of my favorite things to whip up in the fall when Italian plums are in season, and ever-present in our fruit drawer, alongside the apples and pears. My grandmother kept this in her repertoire and used to make it often, and with good reason. It’s exceedingly easy to make; a soft, thick, buttery-sweet batter scented with vanilla is topped by round, juicy halves of plum and then doused in a little lemon juice, and sprinkled with a cinnamon sugar topping.
The process takes mere minutes, but the results belie the amount of effort needed. The cake is fluffy and intensely flavored and the top turns into a crackly sugared garnish for the plums, which become jammy and puddly as they sink into the cake. It’s a perfect dessert to serve on a cool fall night, just before the plums slip gently out of season.

PS: I’m back! The past couple of weeks have been a little crazy, leaving me with little time to post, but that will all be remedied soon, or at least as soon as I upload all my 1000+ pictures. In the meanwhile, hi! We’ll catch up soon. 🙂

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 12 small purple Italian plums, halved and pitted
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

1. Heat over to 350°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together with a mixer until fluffy and light in color. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl, then the vanilla extract.
3. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
4. Spoon batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan, or greased and papered 9 inch cake pan. Smooth the top.
5. Arrange the plums, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. Sprinkle the top with lemon juice. Combine the cinnamon and vanilla sugar then sprinke over cake.
6. Bake until cake is golden and risen, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on rack.