Tuscan Plum Cake
This Tuscan Plum Cake recipe is a delightful blend of sweet and tangy flavors, with juicy plums deeply caramelizing as they bake and melt into a tender, buttery cake. The brown sugar and cinnamon create a warm, spiced sweetness that complements the fruit, while almond extract and anise add subtle, aromatic notes that give the cake a unique depth.
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen Aid equipped with paddle attachment
- 1 Rubber spatula
- 1 Measuring cups set
- 1 Measuring spoons set
- 1 Micro-plane grater
- 1 Skillet small
- 1 Cake pan round, 8"
- 1 Mixing bowl small, stainless steel
Ingredients
- 2 each Whole Plums halved, pits removed
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- ⅔ cup Sugar organic, fair trade
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 2 each Whole Eggs organic, free range, carbon neutral
- ⅓ cup Sour Cream
- 1 tbsp Brandy
- ½ tsp Almond Extract
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice fresh squeezed
- ¼ tsp Anise ground
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon ground
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter 2 sticks
Instructions
- Set oven temp to 375℉
- Butter cake pan and dust lightly with flour.
- Place small, heavy bottom skillet on a burner and set burner to setting 4.
- Add brown sugar and 3 tbsps. of the butter and cook until the butter is melted and the brown sugar is dissolved and all is bubbly and cohesive, about 5 minutes.
- Toss plums with lemon and ½ tsp of kosher salt, then place them face down in the prepared cake pan.
- Pour brown sugar mixture evenly over plums.
- Place remaining butter and the sugar in kitchen aid bowl. Start slow and gently increase speed to setting 3. Mix for 2 minutes.
- Add almond extract and brandy. Continue mixing for 2 additional minutes.
- Increase to setting 4, mix for 2 minutes and then add eggs one at a time mixing for 2 minutes between each addition.
- Add sour cream and mix for 2 minutes.
- Quickly combine flour, ½ tsp of kosher salt, ground anise, ground cinnamon and baking powder in a separate bowl.
- Reduce mixer speed to setting 2 and add flour mixture to the Kitchen Aid mixer, add ½ at a time in two separate additions.
- Mix for 2 minutes, pause, scrape sides with rubber spatula, resume and mix for 1 minute more.
- Using rubber spatula, gently spoon batter over plums and distributing evenly. Smooth the top and pop the cake in the oven.
- Bake the cake in the center rack for 45 minutes.
- Finished cake should look fluffy, golden and spring back when gently pressed. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Turn cake out onto a cake plate. Let the cake sit turned upside down for 10 minutes before removing cake tin. Cool completely before serving.
- Serve as is or garnish as you like with powdered sugar, spun sugar, softly whipped cream, demerara sugar, ice cream etc.