Editor's note
One of our summer desserts for our Adirondack Alps Menu is a semi-sweet white cake made with fresh plums and a streusel topping, and we thought we’d share this recipe with you! In the restaurant, we add ice cream and homemade whipped cream.
This cake is a simple base of a light flour “dough” topped with fresh plums, spices, and oatmeal as a streusel on top.
The History of Plum Cake
Plum cakes have a rich history that dates back to medieval England, where they were associated with the fasting period before Christmas. Initially, this dish resembled a porridge, made with dried fruits, oats, spices, and honey. Over time, the recipe transformed, replacing oats with flour and incorporating eggs and butter, eventually becoming the plum cake we enjoy today.
The recipe I’m sharing today is one of Mrs. Hohmeyer Sr. favorites–especially around Christmas time.
Speaking of Christmas Time...
This summer we’re celebrating Christmas In July, and with Plum Cakes roots (both in our family and in history) as a Christmas dessert, we thought it was perfect to incorporate for our special Horse-drawn Christmas Rides & Adirondack Alps Holiday Dinners this July!
Looking for Other Christmas In July Ideas?
As a quick aside from the recipe, Christmas in July is actually celebrated throughout the world! The Hallmark Channel is kicking off its 12th annual Christmas in July movie event, some summer camps celebrate on the 24th of July, and some celebrate all month long.
You can get foam snowballs and have a snowball fight, and you can even buy small snow machines and have foam “snowflakes” on your front lawn.
For the last three Fridays in July, we’ll be holding our own celebration! Its always a good time for some Christmas magic AND you can enjoy a horse drawn ride from Lucky Clover Sleigh Rides–complete with jingle bells and with no worries about bundling up and getting cold fingers! Click here to learn more about our Christmas In July event series.
Now back to the recipe for this delicious Plum Cake!
Old World Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen mit Streuseln)
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk or cream
- 2 cups oatmeal, rough or powdered (put through a food processor)
- 2 pounds plums, pitted and sliced
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Prepare two 9 inch pie plates or springform pans
- Set aside the oatmeal and ½ - ¾ cup sugar
- Cream the butter, sugar, salt and spices together. Add eggs and vanilla.
- Sift all other dry ingredients together and add to the butter mixture alternating with the flour mixture.
- Blend til smooth - the batter will be fairly thick.
- Spread the batter into the 2 pans and top with plums (you can do this in a nice pattern if you’re feeling fancy!)
- Combine the set aside sugar and oatmeal and sprinkle on top. You can add a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg if you want.
- Bake for about an hour until done in the center. This cake freezes well too!
- Serve with ice cream and/or real whipped cream - Enjoy!