Italian Plum Cake

It's a pretty modest Italian plum season here in Dallas, Texas. I saw them in the market one week, and the next week they were just about gone, with no hopes of showing up again for another year. When I can find them, though, my first thoughts go to the Italian Plum Cake my mother makes. It's an easy little dessert, slightly different from most plum cakes. The batter is thick and rich, the little plums are quartered and placed vertically into the cake batter, like little soldiers, then a generous sugary topping is spread between the plum quarters. The batter rises to meet the tops of the plums, moist and rich, and the topping becomes a sugary crust, perfectly counterbalancing the tartness of the plums. It's my favorite plum cake. Thanks, Mom!


Italian Plum Cake

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
10 - 12 Italian plums

Topping
1/4 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 2 quart baking dish (9-inch x 9-inch glass baking dish works well here.)

Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add in egg; mix well. Add flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla, and salt. Put batter into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly into dish.

Wash and quarter plums, lengthwise, discarding stems and seeds. Stand quartered plums in cake. (I usually place them about half-inch to one inch apart, but you can use as many plums
as you like and not worry about how close or far apart they are.)

Mix the topping ingredients. Strew around top of cake, over and between plums. Bake 1 hour.

For Printable Recipe, Click Here