Peach and Plum Cake

Peach and Plum Cake is an easy cake to prepare and it doesn’t require any decorating skills at all! Allow the flavour of the fresh peaches and plums to be the highlight of the cake. You can dress it up with frostings or glaze, but it really isn’t needed! Soft, moist, sweet, and tart, this cake is best served with a hot coffee on a lazy summer afternoon.

You know, I have to say, the one thing about being a food blogger that I find to be the most frustrating is trying to stay on top of seasonal produce. Every year, I make a promise to myself that I will get more peach and plum recipes posted for you, Dear Reader. And, every year, the season for locally grown, fresh produce rushes by and I miss it. But, not this year! This Peach and Plum Cake is coming to you early so that you will have lots of time to bake one for yourself!

Last summer, I prepared a few recipes right when fresh peaches and plums were available at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. Those recipes were tested, photographed, and sat on my drive for almost a full year. Yes, Dear Reader, that’s right! This cake was baked and photographed last summer. I’ve been waiting almost a full year to publish the recipe so that the timing would line up well with fresh peach and plum season.

That’s just one of the games that food bloggers have to play to stay on top of everything. I used to get so frustrated with not having the option to buy something needed to make a time-specific recipe. Christmastime, for example, is the worse! Do you know how hard it is to find fresh cranberries in July!!?? But, I’ve overcome those frustrations by working on seasonal recipes a year in advance. It’s not the perfect solution, but it works for me!

PEACH AND PLUM CAKE

With all of that said, I’m happy that I’m not too late to share this Peach and Plum Cake recipe with you, Dear Reader! I know that locally grown fresh peaches and plums are about to be in Ontario stores. The harvesting season could be earlier or later where you live.

This is one of those cakes that I get most excited about. I love to bake, as you well know, but I can’t seem to master the skills or techniques required to beautifully decorate a cake. With a cake like this one, there’s no need to decorate it! I simply dust the top of the cake with confectioner’s sugar and slice it up. The flecks of orange and yellow in the cake do all of the decorating for me!

With this particular cake, you basically whip up the cake batter and then stir through the diced peaches and plums. There’s very little fuss with that, isn’t there!? Bake the cake and remove it from the oven to cool. You have the choice to fully cool it or serve it while it’s still warm – just warm enough to slowly melt some vanilla ice cream over top!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking it helps to enhance and balance sweetness. 
• Sugar – Sugar has more than one function in baking.  Not only does it add sweetness, but it will caramelize too, which will help to brown cookies and cakes. 
• Butter – Make sure your butter is softened and at room temperature! I always use salted butter, unless stated otherwise.  To be perfectly honest, there’s never much of a difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Milk – When a baking recipe requires milk, I always use whole milk, unless otherwise stated. 
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Peaches
• Plums
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings quite often.  When dusted lightly onto cakes and cookies, it adds just a touch of sweetness, but more importantly, it looks very visually appealing!

HOW TO MAKE A PEACH AND PLUM CAKE

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a bundt pan by greasing it with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle in a tablespoon of flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter for three minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. Beat into the sugar and butter mixture until just incorporated. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until just mixed together.

Add the chopped peaches and plums. Fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Once you remove the cake from the oven, it is very important to leave the cake in the pan. Place the pan onto a wire cooling rack. Leave the cake to cool for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to fully cool before serving.

USE DIFFERENT FRUITS

This cake will work with many other fruits if you’re not a fan of peaches or plums. Or, if you happen to like plums, you can use any variety, not just the yellow plums like you see here. You can also use nectarines or apricots. Smaller stone fruit like cherries would work too. Just pit them and roughly chop them. Keep in mind that the deep red cherry colour might bleed into the cake batter making your cake pink!

You might want to consider using berries instead of fruit. Consider using blueberries or raspberries. You can also use rhubarb. Just dice it up nicely and stir the pieces right into the cake batter.

Whatever you decide to use, I’m sure you will love this cake. Unlike most cakes that need frosting or ice cream, this one doesn’t. You should take advantage of the simplicity of this cake and enjoy its flavours rather than piling it with sugary frostings. In the photos, you can see that I used a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and garnished the cake with whole, washed and dried, peaches and plums.

THIS CAKE DEMANDS TEA OR COFFEE!

Maybe it’s my British heritage, or maybe it’s because I know a good thing when I see it! Afternoon sweet treats with a cup of tea or coffee have always been a part of my life.  An afternoon hot beverage is very common in Newfoundland, and I still have coffee almost every afternoon.  On the weekends, particularly, I love to have my coffee with a scone, a biscuit, or a piece of cake.

That’s what I love about this Peach and Plum Cake. It’s a cake that has no fuss about it. And, you don’t need to do anything fancy with it to fully enjoy it. Slice off a wedge and sit back with a hot coffee or tea. Nothing can beat that! How long is it going to take you? Ten or fifteen minutes? I think everyone deserves a little downtime once in a while. And, while you’re at it, have a piece of cake! Life is short; enjoy it!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cakes, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cakes will stay fresh in a covered cake stand or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can also store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want to serve the cake, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.