Olive Oil Plum Cake

By Martha Rose Shulman

Olive Oil Plum Cake
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Rating
4(662)
Comments
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I’ve always been intrigued by olive oil cakes and decided to switch out half the butter in the original recipe for this plum cake for olive oil. I spread the batter in a 10-inch tart pan and topped it with delicious pluots from the farmers’ market. You can serve this as a dessert, a coffee cake, or a sweet snack.

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 8
  • 125grams (approximately 1 cup) whole wheat flour
  • 90grams (approximately 3//4 cup) all-purpose flour
  • 10grams (approximately 2 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 4grams (approximately ½ teaspoon) salt
  • 60grams (approximately ¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 50grams (approximately ¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
  • 100grams (approximately ½ cup) sugar
  • 110grams (2 extra large) eggs
  • 5grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
  • 1gram (¼ teaspoon) almond extract
  • 400 to 450grams (approximately 1 pound) firm plums or pluots, sliced
  • 25grams (approximately 2 tablespoons) turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

311 calories; 14 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 291 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch springform pan or a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Line with parchment and lightly butter the parchment. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Place the butter in a stand mixer and beat at medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the olive oil and beat at medium speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl and beaters between each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed, until the mixture is very light.

  3. Step 3

    Turn the speed to low and slowly add the flour. Beat just until incorporated.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it out evenly using an offset spatula. Arrange the plums on top in concentric circles, pressing them down into the batter.

  5. Step 5

    Bake the cake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges of the plums are beginning to color and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes on a rack before releasing the sides of the springform or tart pan. Then let it cool completely before slicing.

Tips
  • Advance preparation: You can make this a day before you wish to serve.
  • You can cut slightly smaller slices for 10 to 12 servings.

Ratings

4 out of 5
662 user ratings
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Comments

Erin

I made the batter for this cake and thought it looked exceptionally dry. After looking at comments, I realized it is a flawed recipe. I added 3 large spoonfuls of yogurt to the batter and voila! A moist, tasty cake (though rather humble in appearance/thickness). I topped mine with pears and blackberries instead of plums.

David O

The first rule of the internet is don't read the comments. The exception to this rule is that you should ALWAYS read the NYTCooking comments. If I were a more prudent baker, I would have read the helpful comments posted before mine and saw this cake requires 1. moisture (yogurt sounds good!) and 2. switching the whole wheat and all purp ratios. I followed the recipe exactly and at the last minute added an olive oil honey glaze before baking. Basically, a delicious cookie with jammy plums on top.

Liz

Probably the worst dessert I have ever made. My husband took one bite and set it aside. "Cake" is like dry Styrofoam. Threw the entire thing out. Don't bother.

Anna

I subbed the 100 grams sugar for 100 grams maple syrup and the cake turned out perfect; I didn't have any problems with dryness. Definitely follow the weighted measurements for this recipe.

Great With Ice Cream

As others have said, the resulting cake is super super dry. Fortunately, I put a plum glaze on top and served it with vanilla and toffee ice cream. Yummy, but not a repeat.

Fingsterker

I have made different versions of this cake through the years, most with butter rather than with a combination of butter and olive oil. This recipe came out dry even though I had reduced the cooking time by 5 minutes after reading the reviews. Although my family liked it, I will not make this particular plumb cake again.

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