When the baskets are full of plums at home and I want something delicious with tea, this Italian plum cake always comes to my mind. This old-fashioned recipe is over sixty years old. Third generation housewives still bake it. Even today, people love this pie. This plum pie is simple and versatile. I don’t know if I did the right thing by calling this recipe Italian. I know that very similar plum pies are baked in the US, Austria, France, Switzerland, Germany, England and Hungary.
Variations & Substitutions
How did I get this Italian plum cake recipe? Actually it’s from my grandma’s cookbook. This is a really old recipe. You can make a lot of variations on this Italian plum cake. Butter replaced with bananas, plums with apples or cranberries, white flour with whole grain flour. My grandma prefers pies filled with peaches or blueberries. I found an identical plum cake recipe in the housewife’s recipes book. This recipe was called Hungarian Plum Pie. I found similar recipes with pears, nectarines, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, lime, grated lemon zest, raisins, small pieces of almonds in the dough, or almond paste instead. You can experiment until you come up with your favorite pie version.
If you are lactose intolerant, use vegan butter.
More cake recipes:
- Dairy free birthday cake
- Lazy cake with nuts
- Christmas bundt cake
- Italian lemon pound cake
- French custard cake – Flan Patissier
If you are looking for inspiration click here
Follow me on Instagram and tag #kaylamagazineofficial to see your amazing creations!
Ingredients needed for Italian plum cake
1 + 1/3 cups (160 g) organic white spelt flour. I buy it from organic farmers who don’t use glyphosate (you can use all-purpose flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (120 g) golden caster sugar (or less)
1/2 cup (115 g) butter. If you don’t have butter, you can use oil instead
2 free-range eggs
12 plums
1 lemon juice
1 table spoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
vanilla sugar
heavy cream if you want to make whipped cream decorations
How to make Italian plum cake
1. In a large bowl mix the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
2.In a separate bowl mix butter and sugar until it melts, then add eggs one at a time and beat.
3. Add the flour to the butter, sugar and eggs mixture and stir.
4. Grease a 9-inch (24 cm) cake springform and line the base with baking paper. Pour in the mixed dough.
5. Prepare the plums: wash and cut in half, remove pits. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon.
6. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
7. Bake 50-60 min., approximately. Cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. Whip heavy cream and vanilla sugar with a hand mixer, add to the piping bag. Make decorations using an icing tip.
Sprinkle vanilla powder sugar on top and enjoy!
How to store Italian plum cake
Italian plum cake left out without any covering dries out quickly. The best way is to cover it with plastic wrap. This seals in moisture and prevents air from drying out the cake. Or place it in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to three days.
Equipment
Piping Bag and Tips Cake Decorating Supplies Kit
9-Inch Springform Cake Pan Round
Electric kitchen mixer
Mixing bowl set
1. In a large bowl mix the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon and salt. 2.In a separate bowl mix butter and sugar until it melts, then add eggs one at a time and beat. 3. Add the flour to the butter, sugar and eggs mixture and stir. 4. Grease a 9-inch (24 cm) cake springform and line the base with baking paper. Pour in the mixed dough. 5. Prepare the plums: wash and cut in half, remove pits. Place the plum halves skin side up on top of the batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and lemon juice, depending on the sweetness of the fruit. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, depending on how much you like cinnamon. 6. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. 7. Bake 50-60 min., approximately. Cool to lukewarm and serve plain or with whipped cream. Whip heavy cream and vanilla sugar with a hand mixer, add to the piping bag. Make decorations using an icing tip. Sprinkle vanilla powder sugar on top and enjoy!
Ingredients
Instructions