In this adaptation of a recipe from the award-winning book “Suqar” by Greg and Lucy Malouf, wedges of sweet-tart fresh plums melt into a rich, buttery cake, the whole thing finished with a nutty brown sugar and spice crumble that complements the plush, tender crumb hiding just beneath. This fruit-forward cake is ideal for a weekend brunch, but special enough to serve as dessert after a summery meal. If you like, dust the cake with powdered sugar just before serving, or spoon on a little whipped cream, gelato or ice cream.
Notes
- Don’t leave the crumble mixture out at room temperature while you make the batter and for the first 25 to 30 minutes that the cake bakes. Freezing the topping and sprinkling it on midway through baking—as the recipe instructs—helps ensure it bakes up with a pleasantly pebbly, nubby texture and that it remains on the surface instead of sinking into the batter.
- Note that the butter for the crumble should be cool room temperature, but the butter for the cake must be at room temperature so it creams easily and yields a light, aerated batter.
- For prepping the baking pan or dish, we use baking spray, which is a mixture of oil and flour, to help guarantee that slices of the cake are easy to remove for serving. If you don’t have baking spray, butter the pan or dish, dust it with flour, then tap out the excess.
- Note that if you use a glass or ceramic baking dish rather than a metal pan, the baking times are slightly longer.
Ingredients
For the crumble:
- ½ cup sliced almonds - 47 grams
- ½ cup all-purpose flour - 65 grams
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar - 109 grams
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 4 tablespoons salted butter - cut into ½-inch cubes, cool room temperature, 57 grams
For the cake:
- floured baking spray
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour - 195 grams
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup sour cream - room temperature, 120 grams
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1½ sticks salted butter - room temperature, 170 grams
- 1¼ cups white sugar - 268 grams
- 3 large eggs - room temperature
- 1½ pounds ripe semi-firm red or black plums - 680 grams (4 to 6 medium-large), halved, pitted and each half cut into 4 wedges
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position.
- Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or baking dish with floured baking spray; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, vanilla and almond extract.
Make the batter:
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and white sugar on medium until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
- With the mixer running on medium-low, add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition and scraping the bowl as needed.
- Increase to medium and beat until the mixture is fluffy and aerated, about 1 minute.
- With the mixer running on low, add about one-third of the dry ingredients followed by about half of the sour cream mixture.
- Next, add about half of the remaining dry ingredients, then the remaining sour cream mixture and finally the remaining dry ingredients.
- Mix on low until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Fold a few times with a spatula to ensure no pockets of flour remain. The batter will be thick.
Bake the cake:
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and spread it in an even layer.
- Arrange the plum wedges on the surface in three rows along the length of the pan, overlapping them slightly if needed.
- Bake for 25 minutes if using a metal pan or for 30 minutes if using a glass or ceramic dish; the cake will be lightly browned on top and have enveloped some or all of the fruit.
Finish and serve:
- Remove the crumble mixture from the freezer and the cake from the oven (close the oven door).
- Working quickly, sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly onto the cake, breaking it up into pieces no larger than ½ inch (the topping should resemble a mixture of damp sand and pebbles).
- Continue to bake until the crumble is golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center of the cake comes out clean, another 20 to 25 minutes if using a metal pan or another 25 to 30 minutes if using a glass or ceramic dish.
- Cool on a wire rack for a least 1 hour before cutting and serving.