Desserts · Vegetarian · Baking · Make ahead · Fall

Plum Cake with Cinnamon Sugar

Name: Plum Cake with Cinnamon Sugar
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled; 1 ½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp fine salt; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ cup milk; 450 g fresh ripe but firm red or black plums; 2 tbsp granulated sugar; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; Extra butter for greasing the pan

Fresh plum quarters bake into a vanilla butter cake with cinnamon in the crumb and a cinnamon-sugar topping. Slice it for a late-summer or early-autumn dessert.

Recipe by Tasty Recipes

Published 2026-09-12

3 hr8 servings

Timing breakdown · 6 timed stages

Estimated total: 30 minutes to soften the butter, 20 minutes of preparation, up to 70 minutes of baking and about 60 minutes of cooling. Allow longer if the butter is still firm or the cake remains warm.

Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 70 min

Preparation / waiting Step 1: 30 minutes
Preparation / waiting Step 3: 3 minutes
Baking Step 5: 60 to 70 minutes
Preparation / waiting Step 5: 60 minutes
Preparation / waiting Step 6: 15 minutes
Resting / cooling Step 6: 45 minutes

Durations are taken from the method and may overlap. Some preparation steps are not timed. Optional stages are separate from the main meal.

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A slice of golden plum cake with jammy red-purple fruit, with the remaining cinnamon-sugar-topped cake behind it

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How to make Plum Cake with Cinnamon Sugar

01
Let the butter pieces soften for about 30 minutes, until easily pressed but not melted. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), with a rack in the centre. Grease the base and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
02
Wash and dry the plums. Cut them into quarters and remove every pit, leaving the skins on. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cake cinnamon and salt in one bowl. Mix the topping sugar and cinnamon separately.
03
In the other bowl, beat the softened butter and cake sugar for about 3 minutes, until light. Scrape down the bowl, then beat in the egg and vanilla. On low speed, add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with the milk in two pours. Stop when no dry flour remains; the batter will be thick.
04
Spread the batter in the pan. Arrange the plum quarters skin-side up in a single layer across the surface. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon-sugar topping. Do not taste the raw batter.
05
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Begin checking at 60 minutes: the cake should be golden and the centre set, with a tester inserted into cake rather than a plum coming out without wet batter. If needed, bake longer; loosely cover with foil if the top browns too quickly.
06
Place on a wire rack. After 15 minutes, carefully loosen the edge with a thin knife and release the springform ring, keeping the base beneath the cake. Continue cooling for about 45 minutes, or until room temperature, before cutting into eight slices.

Recipe questions

Which plums work best?

Use fresh plums that yield slightly when pressed but still hold their shape. Very soft fruit can release more juice. Leave the skins on and remove the pits completely.

Can I use a regular cake pan?

Use a deep 9-inch cake pan and serve directly from it rather than trying to turn the fruit-topped cake out. Keep the same doneness checks; pan material can affect timing.

How should I store it?

Once cooled, cover and refrigerate at 4°C (40°F) or colder and use within 3 days. For longer storage, wrap individual cooled slices and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw covered in the refrigerator.

Is this a dried-fruit plum cake?

This version uses fresh plums baked on top of a butter cake. It does not use dried fruit, alcohol or a fruitcake mixture.

Cooking & storage

Use the recipe’s specific storage directions when provided. Read the food storage guide for chilling and reheating food, and the measures guide before changing portions or ingredients.

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Adapted from Jennifer Segal at Once Upon a Chef, using cinnamon and vanilla without nutmeg or cardamom. Cinnamon-sugar topping inspiration from Namiko Hirasawa Chen at Just One Cookbook. Contains wheat, milk and egg.

Adapted from Jennifer Segal at Once Upon a Chef.

Additional guidance: Namiko Hirasawa Chen at Just One Cookbook: plum cake · FDA: handling flour and raw batter safely · Health Canada food storage guidance