German Plum Cake (pflaumen kuchen)
This recipe is from our friend Sarah Gordon of Revolution In The Kitchen!
Ripe plums, bursting with flavor are dripping all over local fruit trees in Colorado right now. I was recently gifted with some locally grown Italian plums, perfectly ripened. Excitedly, I searched my recipe archives for a German Plum Cake recipe adaptation I created many years ago. My roommate at the time used to be a German exchange student and she brought a Pflaumenkuchen recipe back with her from Germany. I quickly veganized it and we ate many plum cakes that harvest season! My version showcases plums beautifully within a lemon zested oat flour cake sprinkled with cane sugar. The plums turn a gorgeous deep magenta while baking and offer a unique sweet and sour contrast to the cake. Enjoy for breakfast, during afternoon tea, or served with coconut ice cream for dessert. This recipe makes 1 8 inch round or square cake, but can be doubled easily for a 9 x 13 inch pan. This recipe is adjusted for high altitude baking.
Wet Ingredients:
-
½ cup melted coconut oil
-
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
-
1/8 cup flax seed gel*(see not below)
-
1/2 cup coconut milk or nondairy milk of choice
-
juice and zest of one medium sized lemon, preferably organic
-
1 tsp. vanilla
-
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients:
-
1 cup organic unbleached white flour
-
1 cup oat flour** (see note below)
-
¼ tsp. xantham gum
-
1 tsp. cardamom
-
fresh grated nutmeg, just a touch (optional)
-
1 tsp. baking soda
-
8-10 plums, pitted and cut into halves
-
2-3 T organic cane sugar
* to make flax seed gel combine 1 T milled flax seed with 3 T hot water
** purchase oat flour or make your own by blending 1 cup oats until it becomes a flour
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and lightly flour an 8 inch round or square pan. Whisk wet ingredients together in small bowl. Stir all dry ingredients together is large bowl. Add wet to dry and stir until incorporated. Batter will be thicker than normal cake batter. Spread batter into prepared pan. Top with plum halves, cut side down. Sprinkle with cane sugar to taste. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cake sides are lightly browned and a crust has formed on cake. Serve warm or let cool.
