Perhaps I was doing the same thing as I made this plum kuchen (kuchen is the German word for "cake") over the weekend. I can certainly imagine sitting on the patio on a cool autumn evening, enjoying a warm piece of this cake, with its brown sugar batter, hint of cinnamon, and abundance of plums. But we enjoyed it aplenty here in mid-August! (There were requests to make it again, which is always a good sign.)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
8 plums, halved and pitted*
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (or spray with non-stick baking spray).
- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Beat butter at medium speed until it is soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat for another 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute after each. Beat in oil, zest, and vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, mixing only until blended.
- Spread the batter in the pan and smooth the top. Arrange plum halves cut side up in the batter.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, until top is brown and toothpick inserted in middle of cake comes out clean. Transfer cake to a rack and cool for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold the cake. Invert and cool right side up. Sprinkle cooled cake with confectioner's sugar, if desired.
* Because of the size of my plums, I could not fit 16 plum halves in my cake! I could barely fit 9!
|
This ends my Fruit on Tuesday series...and I'm already thinking about a new recipe series for the winter!
Next Tuesday, I'll be back with a handy-dandy index of recipes, a Pin-able button, and some links to a few bonus recipes!
Have you discovered any new fruit recipes this summer?
I love a kuchen, plum, peach just about any fruit and cake batter makes me happy. Maybe you can do stews/chilis for the winter? ;-) I bet you have some good ones. xo
ReplyDeletePlums are a favorite summer fruit for me. And this post takes me right back to my childhood and the plum coffee cake (more like a fruit tart) that an elderly neighbor used to make for our family (well who knows, she may not have been all that elderly, you know a child's perception!) She would call us on the phone and then we would run up to her house to get the coffee cake. It was just delicious and always a treat, plus it was fun to visit her little basement apartment and see all her treasures!
ReplyDeleteThis looks and sounds so delicious! Anything with cinnamon makes me think of my favorite season, fall. Next week apple butter is on the agenda around here, Oh will I be dreaming of fall. ~smile~ Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletePlum kuchen is a staple of my childhood. We called it platz (mennonite term). I made one just a couple of weeks ago. So delicious. Yours looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLast night for dessert I grilled peaches with a little cinnamon sugar on the barbecue - delicious! That was new for me.
Looks yummy! Do you have a fall series or are you taking a break?
ReplyDelete