There are so many touchstones that announce fall’s arrival: school buses, shorter days, cooler nights and mums in bloom.
For me, an early harbinger is the arrival of Italian prune plums. In September, they’re next to the apples and pears; in October they’re scattered among the hard-skinned squash. Then the season seems to end abruptly.
This one-bowl cake is mixed in three steps. It’s a tender, brown-sugar tea cake studded with plums and built on all-purpose flour and yellow cornmeal. The slight coarseness from the cornmeal saves the cake from being too soft and predictable. Not that there’s anything common about the spices; the mix is a puzzler, and you should offer an extra slice to the first person who picks up on the Chinese five-spice powder.
The Chinese five-spice powder that I use (Penzeys) comprises cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves, but some blends contain Sichuan pepper or fennel or six ingredients. This recipe gets extra cinnamon and ginger, because I love those spices with plums.
Speaking of great combos, the flavors of this cake go beautifully with honey. I tried adding it to the batter. I tried dipping the plums in honey before baking them. Neither worked for me. Then I glazed the cake top with boiled honey, and it was just right. By briefly boiling the honey, then gingerly brushing it on the cake, you get a polished look and another layer of flavor.
Italian prune plums are small, egg-shaped, very deep purple, almost blue on the outside and yellow-green on the inside. Baked, their skins stay dark, but their innards turn a pink that borders on fuschia.
If you’re celebrating the Jewish High Holidays, you’ll be happy to have this cake on hand. Because it’s not made with dairy, it’s pareve-perfect after a meal that includes meat; great as part of break-fast for Yom Kippur; and a guarantee that the New Year will start off sweet.
Spiced Plum Cake
10 servings
You’ll need a 9-inch cake pan with high sides (at least 2 inches), or you can use a springform pan. The cake can be covered and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days.
½ cup flavorless oil, such as canola, plus more for greasing the pan (may substitute butter for greasing the pan)
1 cup flour, plus more for the pan
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
9 to 11 Italian plums, preferably small, halved and pitted (scant 1 pound total)
¼ cup honey, for glazing
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a little oil to grease the pan well, then dust the interior with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, aluminum foil or a silicone liner.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, Chinese five-spice powder, cinnamon and ginger in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth, then whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour in the oil, whisking until the batter is shiny and homogenous. Add the flour mixture all at once, whisking until thoroughly blended. Pour the batter into the pan.
Arrange the plums, cut side down, on the batter in whatever pattern you like.
Bake the cake (middle rack) for 23 to 26 minutes or until it is golden brown, slightly springy to the touch and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan; a bamboo skewer or other tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the cake to a wire cooling rack; cool for 5 minutes, then run a table knife around the edges of the pan and carefully unmold the cake; position it top/plum side up on another rack. (If you’ve used a springform, simply remove the sides of the pan.)
Put a piece of parchment paper or foil under the cooling rack (to catch drips) and have a pastry brush at hand.
When the cake is unmolded, begin the glaze. Place a wide skillet over medium-high heat, pour in the honey and boil for no more than 1 minute, just until the honey colors lightly. Remove from the heat; use a pastry brush to gently spread the boiled honey over the surface of the cake. A light touch is important here because the cake is tender.
Allow the cake to rest until it is only just warm or reaches room temperature before cutting and serving.
Per serving: 280 calories, 4 g protein, 39 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 125 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 26 g sugar
