Plum Cake


Bad rodent has resurfaced once again and all of my snap peas are gone, every single one. I saw the tip of his head and I believe he is some type of mole. Now after all the awful things I have said about him I can only imagine he is kind of cute and just trying to make a living. What is the best thing to do about this situation, I’m not sure. One thought is to dig 1 to 2 feet around the perimeter of the garden and place chicken wire to make a barrier if you will. Or maybe I could plant him his own garden. My husband has other ideas. ….so for now I am thinking the perimeter will do.

Now on to this plum cake. Plums are the late bloomers of summer, now the stars of the show. Dessert never tasted so good. I bought plums today at the farmers market. They were not quite ripe but I went ahead and made this gem anyway as I could not wait any longer. The plums baked down and became sweet and syrupy and once again you are reminded why fresh seasonal fruit is always best. The batter was very thick and I had some serious doubts about how it would turn out. But in the end the batter puffed up and nestled the plums ever so wonderfully. This is the kind of recipe that you want to keep in your back pocket. Other fruits could be substituted, it's easy to make, and mouth watering delicious.

This recipe has been adapted from Marian Burros who's recipe was published by the New York Times. There is a little story about how popular this recipe has become, you might want to check it out.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick softened)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
12 Italian or purple plums halved and pitted
Sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon for topping

To prepare:

Preheat oven to 350° Use a cake or spring form pan (I used a 9 inch cake pan). Prepare for baking by buttering pan, line with a prepared round of parchment paper, smoothing out to remove any creases or air bubbles. Brush another layer of butter over the parchment paper. Then flour and shake any excess out.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the sugar and butter together. Add flour, baking powder, salt and eggs, mix well. Scoop batter into prepared baking dish.

Place plum halves in batter skin-side up. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (the amount depending upon the sweetness of the fruit and how much you like cinnamon). Lightly squeeze fresh lemon juice all around. Bake for approximately 1 hour. (mine was done in 50 minutes) Enjoy!






Comments

  1. You can buy one those solar powered mole repellers. They work on vibration and noise, and moles hate it. They'll move to another garden in a matter of days.
    All the while you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a slice of this amazing plum cake!

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    1. Thanks Mike, just went to Amazon and purchaed one for 15.00. I can wait for it to arrive, pretty amazing!

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  2. I hope the solar powered mole repeller works for you. Do write a post about your experience with it.
    That plum cake looks mouth watering delicious, a slice with ice cream please.

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    1. Hi Norma, will let you know how everything goes, I should be receiving the repeller in a couple of days.

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  3. This sounds wonderful. I was just checking out plums at the store yesterday and was thinking it's time to bake with plums!
    Those garden rodents are so frustrating, we've had the same problem, although not for years as Scott found some really cool mole/vole "discouragers". You just stick these things in the ground and they emit a little (almost inaudible to humans) sound that they little creatures can't stand. We haven't seen any in our yard to years. They're called Mole and Gopher Solar Spikes. Really great!

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    1. Thanks for the info Chris, I just bought one yesterday on-line, hopefully this will discourage Bad Rodent.

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  4. This sounds wonderful. I was just checking out plums at the store yesterday and was thinking it's time to bake with plums!
    Those garden rodents are so frustrating, we've had the same problem, although not for years as Scott found some really cool mole/vole "discouragers". You just stick these things in the ground and they emit a little (almost inaudible to humans) sound that they little creatures can't stand. We haven't seen any in our yard to years. They're called Mole and Gopher Solar Spikes. Really great!

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  5. Rodents don't make me smile..I now have chicken wire around my small potager after all my peppers were eaten..and pineapple tomatoes:(
    Baking is a breeze compared to rodents eating my first poatger veggies..
    Beautiful dessert!
    I think I need some of Chris' spikes;)

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    1. i bet some yesterday Monique, will let you know how they work.

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  6. It's a well fed mole if it's eating its way through all of your sugar snaps!

    This cake sounds perfect for late summer, when plums really come into their own over here. Absolutely love them. Will have to try this.

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    1. Hi Johnny, yes, he is well fed, just bought one of those mole solar repellers, should receive in a few days, hopefully that chases him away.

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  7. A gopher ate all my tomato plants. I'm going to check out the solar heated mole repellers for next year. The plum cake is amazing.

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    1. Hi Gerlinde, it's amazing how much they can put away for being so little. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. Your plum cake looks delicious. It's not plum season here at the moment so I'll have to wait a while before I can make this but you have reminded me of how much I love plum cake. I'm sorry to hear about the Bad Rodent. He certainly has an appetite. But yes, he does sound pretty cute xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie, I always forget how much I like plums too, especially baked.

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  9. This looks so tasty Cheri! Hopefully you can solve the mole problem without too much hassle :)

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  10. Sorry that all of your snap peas were destroyed :-((
    Your plum cake looks very tasty..a great late summer dessert, Cheri.

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    1. Thanks Angie, the plums this year so far have been delicious!

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  11. What an awesome looking summer dessert. This plum cake looks absolutely delish and YUM, Cheri!

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  12. Looks delicious Cheri. Plum cake is perfect for early fall. Good luck in tackling the cute mole. Sigh.

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    1. Thanks Dena, looks like I need all the help I can get.

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  13. moles are never cute! no no no!
    on a more calm note, this cake looks great! i hardly ever bake with plums because i don't like pitting them. :)

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    1. Hi Grace, for some strange reason, I really don't mind. I guess because they are so delicious.

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  14. Don't you hate those bad rodents? It's always a struggle -- they don't understand that our gardens don't belong to them! Anyway, I've been seeing decent plums in the store lately, but haven't done anything with them yet. I need to make this cake -- so good looking! Thanks so much.

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    1. Thanks John, we really enjoyed this cake, just finished it off this morning.

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  15. I love plums :) but not so much the moles. I have dogs, and these two girls love to kill rodents, bunnies and opossums. They work like a team and nothing gets away. You need Jack Russell Terriers - they can help :) This cake looks and sounds wonderful! I have been craving plum jam - not sure where that came from but this cake would probably work for me!

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    1. Hi Tricia, plum jam sounds delicious, there is a woman in town who makes and sells jam and last year I bought a hazelnut and pinot noir jam that I still tink about.

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  16. Hi Cheri,
    I've baked something similar with almond meal. This plum cake looks so delish! Yummy ! Surely ain't get enough with 1 slice.

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    1. Hi Karen, I love the flavor that almond meal brings to baked goods, great idea.

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  17. Absolutely perfect timing! I have a basket full of perfectly ripe plums here in my fruit basket and there is no way i can polish them off all fresh by tomorrow. I can't wait to try your perfectly plum cake. Yum!

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    1. Thanks Bam, I always devour them fresh, this was the first time I baked them myself and we really enjoyed them.

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  18. Oh no! What a naughty mole.

    This plum cake sounds delicious though. I never think to bake with plums, but I really should start.

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  19. I have been in the mood to bake with plums, and this sounds just lovely.

    Boo to that mole!

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    1. Hi Joanne, baked plums are so delicious especially a few minutes right out of the oven.

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  20. What a great cake! I've never made one with plums and need to after seeing this. Good luck with your rodent!

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    1. Thanks Pam, just received my solar mole repeller in the mail, it is supposed to emit a sound that chases the moles away, we will see.

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  21. That would make me so mad! I like Chris' idea of the solar stakes. Your plum tart has been making the rounds lately with plum season. You've given me another reason to try it. I hope I can find those Italian plums here but I'm guessing my chances are slim.

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  22. I'm so sorry about your snap peas. How frustrating! We have been having problems with mice in our attic. You're right, they are so cute, I hate getting rid of them, but they really reek havoc. Anyway, your plum cake sounds so delicious! I've never cooked with plums before. It sounds like a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Hi Shari, yes, rodents in the house can really reek havoc, we had a mother racoon move in during the winter when we were in Phoenix, and when we came back up here in May she had babies, it was awful.

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    2. Oh, that sounds like a difficult problem to resolve! They are a lot bigger than mice. :(

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  23. This plum cake looks so good–I love plums, so I will need to try this!

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  24. You write with the pen (or computer!) of a poet, Cheri! Love the image of plums nestling in the beautiful cake...On the other hand, I do not want to imagine what your plans are for your peas pal =)

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    1. Hi Kim, oh I never would actually hurt the little guy, I'm going to try and scare him out with noise. Hope it works!

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  25. Oh those pesty moles - hope your perimeter works. The cake sounds wonderful. I have never baked with plums but love them fresh and in jam. I will have to try this out!

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    1. Hi Mindy, I hope the perimeter works too.

      I have been wanting to make plum jam, I bet that it is delicious.

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  26. I love fruit based cakes---and yours looks so tempting. So sorry about your unwelcome critter.

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  27. I'm with you, Cheri, eating seasonally is the only way to go. This looks so delicious! You are such a great baker that I wish I was your neighbour, lol.
    I googled 'what to do with moles in your garden' and Better Homes & Gardens says the only solution is to kill them with a trap!! Eeekks!! You didn't hear this from me, lol. Good luck :)

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    1. Hi Robyn, yikes, there kind of tuff! anyway I'm going to try these mole repellers that are supposed to chase them away, we will see.

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  28. Oh, just noticed that you purchased a mole repellant! Whew! lol

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  29. What a gorgeous cake, Cheri! I'd love to try a piece right now!

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  30. Oh, Cheri - this looks wonderful. I opened your page and had to choose whether to read the tomato cobbler first, or this. Desserts often win these contests, don't they? I haven't seen plums in our farmers market yet, but having been gone a lot, perhaps I missed them? Sigh... There is always AJs!

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