Dimply Plum Cake

Just when you thought we couldn't possibly have more plums-- we did. The plum ginger crumble didn't quite use up all my mom's plums, so we turned to this recipe to finish them out. (There is another plum cake recipe on this site worth trying out also, the crunchy topped whole wheat plum cake.) Weirdly enough, when I took my first bite I was ho-hum and then the Robber-- that same Robber who is always trying to convince me to make old things he likes not new things-- took his first bite and LOVED it. And then proceeded to eat most of it quickly and to say again and again how much he liked it. So ok. I guess we'll be making this again. The flavor of the cake is quite pleasing, but I found it a bit dry so how to work around that? Also, the plums need to be quite small (I put in some larger store plums too and they didn't work as well as my mother's small plums). I made mine in a 9" cake pan which worked quite well. Smitten Kitchen says you can use apricots or other stone fruits also and mix up the zest and the spices and whatever so maybe I will try making a pear or a cherry cake some time just for kicks. Also the Robber wants me to make it without any fruit at all. Hrrrmmm. We'll see.

Originally from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home To Yours, by way of Smitten Kitchen:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/dimply-plum-cake/

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (the original calls for 1/4 tsp.)

5 T. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 C. (packed) light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or safflower

Grated zest of 1 orange (I used 1 tsp. dried valencia orange peel)

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

8 purple or red plums (or even Italian prune plums, when they are in season), halved and pitted

Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together.

3. Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it’s soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes, then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for a minute after each egg goes in. Still working on medium speed, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla; the batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny.

4. Removing the mixer, add the dry ingredients in thirds, mixing in by hand until they are incorporated.

5. Run a spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots, then scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums cut side up in the batter–Dorie says she usually makes four rows of four plum halves each–jiggling the plums a tad just so they settle comfortably into the batter.

6. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the plums and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes during which time the plums juices will seep back into the cake then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up.

7. Optional: Dust the top with powdered sugar. (It soaks into the plums, but keeps the cake a speckly white.)

Note: You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, during which time it will get softer and moister.