Italian Plum Cake
ITALIAN PLUM CAKE
Makes 16 squares or 8 slices
Every fall I look forward to the Italian plum season and to be able to make this cake. This is another item I wish I would see on cafe menus so maybe I just need to do it myself. You could make it in a square or rectangular pan or even in a round one. This can be a snack cake or even as a desert with whipped cream.
Ingredients
10-12 small purple Italian plums
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lemon
Pinch salt
Pinch cinnamon (optional)
1 1/4 cups (200g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Powdered sugar for dusting
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Set aside until needed.
In a separate bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar for a few minutes.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix until thick and pale, about 3-5 minutes.
Add sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and cinnamon. Mix until well combined.
Mix all-purpose flour and baking powder and add to the batter. Mix just until combined.
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
Line a 9”x9” or 9”x13” baking pan with parchment paper (or grease it) and spread the batter evenly with a spatula.
Place the halved plums on top, skin side down. You don’t have to push them into the batter as they will sink into the batter while baking.
Bake the cake for about 25-30 minutes in the center of the 350 °F preheated oven until golden. A wooden toothpick, inserted in the middle should come out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it.
Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.