Happy Endings Plum Cake
Submitted by autunos
Plum cake made with canned plums and their syrup, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and a full cup of butter. A moist, spiced sheet cake dusted with powdered sugar.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minCanned plums are the unsung hero of this cake. Chopped and folded into a rich butter batter, they add fruity pockets of sweetness throughout. The reserved syrup goes into the batter as the liquid component, concentrating that plum flavor into every crumb.
Dark brown sugar alongside white sugar gives the cake a deeper, more molasses-forward sweetness than white sugar alone. Combined with two teaspoons of cinnamon, the flavor profile lands somewhere between a spice cake and a fruit cake, in the best possible way.
The alternating method (dry, syrup, dry, syrup, dry) keeps the batter from being overworked. Each addition gets stirred in just until combined, which is how you get a tender, fine crumb instead of a tough, chewy one.
Drain those plums well. Excess syrup beyond the measured ½ cup makes the batter too wet and the cake won’t set properly in the center.
Kitchen Tips
- Cream the butter until genuinely light and fluffy before adding the sugars; this builds the cake’s structure
- Test with a toothpick at 25 minutes; different ovens vary and overbaking dries out the plum pieces
- Dust with powdered sugar while slightly warm for a light coating that clings
Variations
- Use canned peaches or apricots in place of plums for a different fruit cake
- Add ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter for crunch
- Top with a thin lemon glaze instead of powdered sugar for a tangier finish
Ingredients
Directions
Drain plums well, reserve syrup and chop plums.
Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and light, then gradually add the sugars, beating until creamy and smooth.
Beat in the eggs, then the vanilla.
Sift all dry ingredients together; stir into the butter mixture, alternating with ½ cup of the reserved syrup, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.
Stir in the plums.
Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean.
Turn the cake out of the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Comments
From "The Cereal Murders" by Diane Mott Davidson.
The recipe in the book uses 3/4 cup granulated sugar and suggests add 2 Tbs flour, subtract 1/2 tsp baking powder at high altitude.
I plan to try it this weekend.