Check ingredients Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray or a neutral oil.
Make the batter: combine whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt in a large bowl.
In a different bowl, beat together, using a handheld mixer, the applesauce, softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk in unsweetened plant based milk.
Transfer the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk together until incorporated. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Top the cake with slices of plums, forming a circular pattern.
Garnish with turbinado sugar and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and let cool completely before slicing and enjoying on its own of with a scoop of vegan ice cream.
Keep in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
Common Questions & Swaps:
Can I replace the plums with another fruit? Yes, absolutely. This recipe works wonderfully with nectarines, peaches, and apricots.
Can I use other flours in this recipe? I have personally only tested this recipe with 1 cup of whole wheat flour + 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. However, I think these substitutions would work well: 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cup all purpose gluten free flour, and cup all purpose (gluten free or not) flour + 1/2 cup almond or tigernut flour
Can I use another sweetener instead of sugar? I would think any other granulated sweetener should do, but I have personally not tested any of them.
Can I replace the applesauce with something else? Yes, you can replace it with 1/3 cup of mashed banana or pumpkin puree, although the flavor of the cake will be affected by this change.
If you don’t have vegan butter on hand, swap it out for the same amount vegan margarine.
Here we are again with another summery dessert. Lately, with all the cookbook work I have been doing, because I have not tackled the dessert section, I am spending a lot of time recipe testing savoury items. So any chance I get to do something sweet, I take it.
If you have been following me on Instagram, you know I have been on a little galette frenzy, making one almost every weekend – rest assured, a recipe is coming to the blog very soon!
Most of my galettes have featured stone-fruits: I made multiple ones with apricots, but also one with plums. Since I had quite a few plums leftover, I thought, why not make a cake with them.
I have always been a big fan of fruity desserts, especially when they sit right on top of a cake.
Because stone-fruits are in season at the moment, it is the perfect time to experiment with them in various pastries.
This cake is really simple to make and does not require too many fancy ingredients.
The batter is made of a mixture of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. The whole wheat flour gives this cake a nice dense texture and adds a little crumb to the sponge, while the all purpose flour lightens up the batter and makes it a little more moist. It is also spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, which I find really complement beautifully the plums.
Furthermore, I didn’t want the sweetness of the sponge to overpower the cake and mask the subtle sweetness of the plums, therefore, I only used 1/2 cup of sugar in the sponge and finished off the cake with a generous sprinkle of turbinado sugar.
The plums themselves are simply sliced and placed on top of the cake as its crown. Once baked, they soften up and add a beautiful texture to the cake.
Well, that is it you guys: another summer inspired dessert featuring a seasonal ingredient.
I really hope you will give this Spiced Plum Cake a try. The sponge is soft and subtly spiced while the fresh juicy plums add a lovely sweetness and a light tartness to this cake. You can enjoy this cake on its own or alongside a generous scoop of vegan ice cream to make it even more of a summery treat!
If you do make this recipe and share it on social media, be sure to tag me on Instagram @muriellebanackissa.
Have a great week!
