Winter or summer an easy plum streusel cake is a winner
The time of year doesn’t matter, all that counts in the enjoyment you get when you take that first bite. This easy plum streusel cake hits all the right flavour profiles, the perfect sweetness balanced by the tartness of the plums.
Mix it up a bit with different fruits
You don’t have to stick with plums. Try swapping out the plums for blueberries, apricots or gooseberries (for those that like the very tart flavours). In truth any fruit that isn’t overly moist can be used.
What do you need to make Easy Plum Streusel Cake
Here’s what you need:
Streusel topping
- All purpose flour – The flour is used as the base to bind the sugar and butter to create the crisp and chunky texture.
- Granulated white sugar – The sugar provides the sweetness in the topping to balance the tart fruits that we will be adding to the cake batter.
- Cold cubed unsalted butter – While butter provides the fat in the topping feel free to substitute with margarine or a plant based alternative. Remember that it needs to be able to be rubbed into the flour and sugar.
- Cinnamon – Just to add a bit of spice.
Cake Batter
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder – The raising agent to give the cake batter the lightness.
- Salt
- Unsalted butter at room temperature – Soft butter is essential as it will be creamed prior to mixing with the sugar.
- Granulated white sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Milk
- Plums – Ripe but firm plums. Cut them in half to lay across the top of the batter.
Equipment
- 20 cm (8″) Square cake tin – A round tin of the same size works just as well.
- 3 Mixing bowls – Three bowls are required: one for the topping, one for the dry ingredients and one for mixing the batter.
- Mixer – A hand or stand mixer for mixing the cake batter.
- Measuring spoons – A set of measuring spoons.
- Measuring cups – A set of measuring cups
- Scales
How to make easy plum streusel cake
Gather your ingredients and equipment together, then preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan, 350°F).
Streusel Topping
In a mixing bowl combine 45g (1/3 cup)of granulated sugar and 65g (1/3 cup) of all purpose flour. Add 65g (1/3 cup) of cold unsalted butter that has been cut into cubes. Using your fingers or to knives, cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture, until it resembles course bread crumbs (don’t make it too fine as it will bake solid). To provide a textured topping take small handfuls and squeeze lightly together to form larger clumps. These will provide an extra dimension to the texture. Place the topping into the fridge until required.
Cake Batter
Take your second mixing bowl shift together 130g (1 cup) of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
In our final mixing bowl for the mixer, add the butter and beat until smooth. Add 100g (1/2 cup) of granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy (the colour of the mixture will become lighter as you beat in the sugar). Add 1 large egg and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat until the egg and vanilla are incorporated. Alternating the addition of the flour mixture and milk (80ml (1/3 cup) in total), beating until just combined, over mixing will create a tough cake.
Spread the cake batter in the lined cake tin and smooth the top with the bake of a spoon.
Arrange the 16 plum halves (8 plums total) evenly across the top of the cake batter and sprinkle the streusel topping across the top.
Baking
Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a skewer (or toothpick) inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean, the sides of the cake will also have just started to pull away from the sides of the tin.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool in the cake tin for a couple of minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the cake tin and serve or allow to cool for storage.
Serving
Cut into 9 slices.
When served hot consider accompanying the cake with double cream, crème fraîche, sour cream, natural yoghurt or ice cream.
However you serve the easy plum streusel cake it will be a winner with a rich butter top, soft and moist cake and tart fruit.
Plum Streusel Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar and ground cinnamon.45 g all purpose flour, 65 g granulated white sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, 65 g cold unsalted butter
- Using your fingers or a knife cut the butter into the flour until it resembles bread crumbs (coarse). Note 1
- Place topping in the fridge. Note 2
- Preheat oven to
180 °C (350 °F)/
160 °C (320 °F) - Line cake tin with parchment paper. Note 3.
- In a bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder.130 g all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt
- In the mixer bowl beat the softened butter until smooth.56 g unsalted butter
- Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.100 g granulated white sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate into the mixture.1 large egg, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Add half of the flour to batter and mix to combine.130 g all purpose flour
- Add half of the milk to the batter and mix to combine.80 ml milk
- Add the remaining flour and mix to combine.130 g all purpose flour
- Add the remaining milk and mix to combine.80 ml milk
- Only mix until combined to keep the cake light.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared square cake tin and smooth the top.
- Arrange the plums evenly across the top of the cake mixture.8 plums
- Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly across the top of the cake mixture.
- Bake for40-50 minutes the centre of the oven. Checking at 40 minutes that a skewer comes out clean from the centre of the cake. If not clean keep baking and checking at 5 minute intervals
- When done, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the cake tin
Notes
- Once you have a coarse bread crumb texture if you take a small handful of the crumbs and squeeze lightly you can produce small clumps that toast up wonderfully in baking.
- Placing the topping in the fridge allows the crumb maintain its texture.
- Ensure you leave an overhang of parchment paper to allow you to lift out the cake.