Plums in March? Yes, but not in the way that you think. My father cans the fruits of summer whole and in jam and jelly form; peaches, pears, plums, figs, blackberries, grape, etc. If I am a good daughter, he sometimes gives me jars of summer fruits if I promise to bring the jars back to him (I've got at least one shelf dedicated to 'dad's mason jars' and the small jam jars make excellent wine glasses). The peaches are always coveted the most- and for good reason- there is nothing better than a home-canned peach, except, of course, a fresh peach- unless it's march which is not the time for eating stone fruits if you care anything about flavor.
Plums are a bit of a different animal when they're canned. A stone fruit it is, but a juicy peach it is not. The plum's skin has a slightly bitter bite to it, and the flesh of a canned plum is somewhat sodden and deflated- which is to say that appearances are deceiving- especially if the jar is dusty.
I manage to somehow turn a blind eye to the fruit on the top of the jar that is exposed to preserved air and may have some odd spots on them. I try my best to forget about how awful botulism is, and remind myself how simple and tasty a plum cake is.
Plum Cake
Adapted from The Splendid Table website who got it from Marian Burros
This is a humble cake. It doesn't need any fancy presentation. I usually slice and eat it right out of the pan. It's good slightly warm and even better for breakfast the next morning.
In a mixer, cream butter. Add sugar. Mix until fluffy. Scrape down sides and add eggs and vanilla or zest. Mix well.
In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to everything else and mix until a batter is created.
Turn batter into prepared dish or pan.
On a cutting board, half and de-stone the plums. Arrange plums on top of the batter, skin side down. Dust generously with cinnamon and sugar.
Stick the cake-to-be in the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and tasty.
I manage to somehow turn a blind eye to the fruit on the top of the jar that is exposed to preserved air and may have some odd spots on them. I try my best to forget about how awful botulism is, and remind myself how simple and tasty a plum cake is.
Plum CakeAdapted from The Splendid Table website who got it from Marian Burros
This is a humble cake. It doesn't need any fancy presentation. I usually slice and eat it right out of the pan. It's good slightly warm and even better for breakfast the next morning.
- 1 stick butter- room temperature
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/4 c brown sugar
- 3/4 c white flour
- 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla or lemon zest
- pinch salt
- 12ish canned plums (if fresh are in season, those will work).
- Cinnamon & Sugar
In a mixer, cream butter. Add sugar. Mix until fluffy. Scrape down sides and add eggs and vanilla or zest. Mix well.
In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to everything else and mix until a batter is created.
Turn batter into prepared dish or pan.
On a cutting board, half and de-stone the plums. Arrange plums on top of the batter, skin side down. Dust generously with cinnamon and sugar.
Stick the cake-to-be in the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden brown and tasty.
1 comment:
I'm still scared of the botulism I saw in the pantry when we were in Elkton. But that cake looks soooooo good. As does baby Beck. I want me one of them.
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