Almondy Plum Cake

Two of the things I’ve always been enchanted with presented themselves to me this week: an easy “company’s coming” cake and an inspiring love story.

The first is the Almondy Plum Cake from Yossy Arefi’s book Snacking Cakes.  This sweet little cake is made up of easy to source ingredients and bakes up looking like a fancy culinary masterpiece that must have surely taken quite a while to make for the company you are receiving but actually takes no time at all.  This made it the perfect cake to bake up when I found myself with about one hour’s notice that we’d be entertaining family for dinner and then again when I learned my husband’s 91 year old grandfather would be coming to stay with us for the weekend.

Which brings me to my fondness for inspiring love stories.  My grandparents-in-law (is that a term?) met in elementary school, were high school sweethearts who married young, and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary just before Edna, my husband’s grandmother, passed away.  In all of my life, including every romantic comedy and hallmark christmas special I’ve ever seen, I’ve never seen anyone love someone like Jay loved (and still loves) Edna.  In most of the memories I have of them they’re holding hands.  Jay was always supportive of Ednas’ interests and her biggest cheerleader.  Even now, two years without her, he still keeps her box of painting supplies and preserves her kitchen exactly as she kept it.

So, it was no shock to me to learn if Jay and Edna were a young couple in these modern times he’d be the perfect “instagram husband.” I know this to be true because when I mentioned I was going to snap a pic of the cake real quick he looked at the cake in front of him and said, “oh that’s a plum is it? Super! ” and then began to ask for directions.  “Now what do I do? Okay then I’ll just hold my coffee cup.  Like this now, Bobbye? Okay, super! Now how many people look at this picture gram?  Oh WOW! Super!”

It is a super cake, and I’m so thankful that Yossy Arefi has allowed me to share the recipe with you.  You’ll find a printable recipe below, but to begin at the beginning you’ll want to position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 350.  Butter or coat an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick spray.  Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over two of the edges.  

Next you’ll brown your butter.  Melt half a cup of butter in a small saucepan or skillet with a light-colored interior over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring occasionally, scraping the bits from the bottom and sides of the pan if necessary, until the butter solids turn golden brown and smell nutty, about 3 minutes.  Pour the butter into a large heatproof bowl and let it cool slightly while you get out the rest of the ingredients.  This is a great time to pit your plums and slice them into quarters while the butter cools just a bit.

After you’ve gathered all your ingredients and pitted your plums add 3/4 cup of sugar and 2 large eggs to the bowl with the warm butter and whisk until pale and foamy, about 1 minute.  I use this whisk and this bowl for every cake I make.  They’re absolutely perfect and really all you need for most of Yossy’s recipes.  Add a teaspoon each of vanilla and almond extracts and 3/4 a teaspoon of salt.  Whisk again until smooth and emulsified.  Then add in 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 a cup of almond flower and whisk again until well-combined and smooth.

Now you’ll pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.  I use this one to scoop the batter out of my mixing bowl and smooth the top as well.  Tap the pan gently on the counter to release any air bubbles

Arrange your plums in snug rows on top of the batter, they should nearly cover the top of the cake.  These will also serve as a guide for slicing your cake so its helpful to get them in even rows.  Sprinkle the top of your cake with about 3 tablespoons of sliced almonds and top those with about 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar.

Bake your cake until its puffed and golden, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-45 minutes.  Then use the parchment paper to lift the cake out of the pan and set it on the rack to cool completely.  Once cooled enjoy!  I topped my cake with Yossy’s Vanilla Bean whip.  It’s very simple to whip up.  Simply combine 1 cup chilled heavy cream, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean whip in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.

This cake is perfect served at room temperature and can be stored, wrapped tightly, on the counter for a day or for up to three days in the fridge. I loved it so much I plan to make the two flavor variations as well: Orange Blossom Apricot Almond Cake and Persimmon Almond Cake.  You’ll find these and many more recipes in the book Snacking Cake. 

If you’d like to follow along as I bake my way through the entire cookbook with my best friend find us on instagram.

Disclosure: I only recommend resources I have used and loved.  All opinions expressed here are my own.  This page may contain affiliate links or codes from which, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.