Sara's grandma's simple cake
Many years ago, a good friend passed along another friend's grandmother's cake recipe to me. I was in desperate need of a dessert that would let me make use of a generous gift of Italian plums. These plums had been busily overwhelming a coworker's backyard in Seattle, and one fall day she dropped an ugly plastic bag full of them unceremoniously on my desk with visible relief in her eyes. (Zucchini-growers will empathize, I'm sure...).
I am ashamed to admit that I rarely return to a recipe--there are just so many dishes out there in the world that demand to be tried!--but something about the cake's old-fashioned simplicity appealed to me, and it managed to make the leap into my spiral-bound, greatest-hits recipe notebook for good.
I recently returned to this cake, and was once again charmed by its strong Midwestern values and freshly-scrubbed appearance. Well, you know what I mean. It's honest. And versatile. And, yes, easy.
This recipe pops up all over the place in various guises, as it should. The version I received suggests a layer of halved plums atop the batter, but I have also made it successfully with thinly sliced Bartlett pears. You could top it with strawberries, or caramelized apples, or sprinkle in some nutmeg, or candied ginger, or dried cranberries, or swirl in a spoonful of jam...in other words, I doubt you can go wrong here. And adding a nice dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream before serving never hurt anybody.
Sara's Grandmother's Plum Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup flour (I have used cake flour with great results)
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
Enough plums to cover top of cake, halved and pitted (perhaps 8-12, depending on size)
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
lemon juice
Equipment:
1 8-inch springform pan, lightly greased
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream sugar with butter. Add eggs and mix. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
Spoon batter into 8-inch springform pan.
Arrange plum halves in a single layer on top of the batter so the top is nicely covered.
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top of everything and drizzle with lemon juice.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until done (do the toothpick maneuver).
Remove from oven and allow to cool so that it doesn't collapse when you pop the springform.
Enjoy!
I am ashamed to admit that I rarely return to a recipe--there are just so many dishes out there in the world that demand to be tried!--but something about the cake's old-fashioned simplicity appealed to me, and it managed to make the leap into my spiral-bound, greatest-hits recipe notebook for good.
I recently returned to this cake, and was once again charmed by its strong Midwestern values and freshly-scrubbed appearance. Well, you know what I mean. It's honest. And versatile. And, yes, easy.
This recipe pops up all over the place in various guises, as it should. The version I received suggests a layer of halved plums atop the batter, but I have also made it successfully with thinly sliced Bartlett pears. You could top it with strawberries, or caramelized apples, or sprinkle in some nutmeg, or candied ginger, or dried cranberries, or swirl in a spoonful of jam...in other words, I doubt you can go wrong here. And adding a nice dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream before serving never hurt anybody.
Sara's Grandmother's Plum Cake
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup flour (I have used cake flour with great results)
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
Enough plums to cover top of cake, halved and pitted (perhaps 8-12, depending on size)
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
lemon juice
Equipment:
1 8-inch springform pan, lightly greased
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream sugar with butter. Add eggs and mix. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
Spoon batter into 8-inch springform pan.
Arrange plum halves in a single layer on top of the batter so the top is nicely covered.
Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top of everything and drizzle with lemon juice.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until done (do the toothpick maneuver).
Remove from oven and allow to cool so that it doesn't collapse when you pop the springform.
Enjoy!
Labels: comfort foods, sweets
posted by cindym at 4:54 PM
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