A cardamom-spiced coffee cake layered with plums and a thick, buttery crumb topping ~ cozy, unfussy, and easy to love.

cardamom plum cake on a plate with fork.

This late-summer cardamom plum cake nods to Central Europe (Zwetschgenkuchen, Pflaumenkuchen) a true afternoon coffee classic. Prune plums are traditional, but black or red plums bring gorgeous color; either way, the jammy fruit meets a cardamom-scented cake and a buttery crumb for an easy delicious snack cake.

spreading cake batter in a springform pan for cardamom plum cake.

arranging plum slices on a cardamom plum cake.

Cardamom plum cake baking hints

PAN: I use my springform pan so I don’t have to worry about overflows no matter how high I pile my plums. It releases from the pan neatly for slicing and serving. (With fruit this pretty you really want to show it off.)

PLUMS: Look for ripe but firm plums, avoid soft or over ripe fruit. Any of these varieties work:

Black plums ~ sweet, low-acid; bake soft and jammy.
Red plums ~ juicy sweet-tart; great contrast for buttery crumb.
Yellow plums ~ mild, honeyed; boost with brown sugar + lemon (lovely with cardamom.)
Greengage ~ very sweet, floral; cut back sugar a bit ~ almond extract works well here.
Italian prune ~ firm, less juicy; slices keep their shape.

Cardamom plum cake just out of the oven.

store and freeze

Storage: 1–2 days at room temp.

Freeze slices up to 2 months.

Rewarm at 300°F for 8–10 min to refresh the crumb.

slices of cardamom plum cake on a cake stand.

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Cardamom Plum Cake

4.67 from 6 votes

Plums + cardamom, baked into an easy coffee cake with a soft crumb and bright, aromatic lift.

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Cook Time:50

Servings: 10

Equipment

9" springform pan

Ingredients

crumble topping

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar

cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted butter , at room temperature
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground mace or nutmeg
2 large eggs , at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream or full fat yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

plums

5-6 plums, pitted and sliced, this is approximate as plums vary in size. Use enough slices to cover the top of the cake batter, overlapping slightly.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and butter and flour your 9" springform pan.

crumble topping

First make the crumble topping. Put the softened 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, 3/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl and use your fingers to combine into a crumbly texture. Take the time to get all the butter evenly incorporated. Set aside.

cake

Using a stand mixer or electric beaters cream the 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup salted butter , 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1/4 tsp ground mace or nutmeg until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.
Beat in the 2 large eggs , one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each one.
Blend in the 1/4 cup sour cream or full fat yogurt and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low add the 1 tsp baking powder and then slowly add the 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour until everything is incorporated. Finish mixing with a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Turn into your prepared pan and spread out evenly.

plums

Slice the plums and arrange over the cake batter to cover the surface completely. You can overlap them slightly. I like to start at the outer edge and work inwards. See photos for reference. Top with the crumble, using your fingers to press it together into larger crumbs as you add it.
Slide into the oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until risen and slightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with moist crumbs but no wet batter.
Let the cake cool for about 10-15 minutes then carefully remove the springform pan sides, I like to run a thin knife around the edges to loosen first.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Central European

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: baking, breakfast, cake, coffee cake, dessert, plums, summer

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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