Rustic and Bloody Plum Cake with Crumble

This delicious plum cake is absolutely divine, i know i know hiperbole goes a long way, but I absolutely love baking with fruit, it doesnt always cooperate, but there’s something especially magical about slightly tart fruits that create that perfect sweet-and-sour balance and moistness in cakes. The plums give this rustic Portuguese style cake such a unique character and flavour, especially when you keep the skins on like I did (that give it a bit more tartness), though if you prefer a milder, sweeter version, feel free to peel them. What makes this cake particularly fun is how wonderfully “bloody” it looks, thanks to those gorgeous plums, making it absolutely perfect as a Halloween treat that’s both delicious and delightfully spooky! ;D

The beauty of this “bolo de ameixas” lies in its rustic charm and that incredible crumble topping that adds the most satisfying texture contrast. Portuguese baking has this wonderful way of celebrating seasonal fruits, and this cake is no exception, it’s the kind of dessert that feels like a warm hug from your grandmother’s kitchen kind of thing, ohhh you dont have a portuguese grandma? Just bake the cake and it will feel like it hehehehe. The combination of tender, buttery cake studded with almost juicy plum jam and topped with that crumbly, sandy crunchy topping creates layers of flavour and texture that are simply irresistible, what did i say… oh yeah… divineeeee heheheh.

I know im sharing this for halloween, but trust its a “everytime plums are in season” kind of cake, its just really nice, fresh, juicy treat that everyone can enjoy, so lets check the recipe!

Rustic and Bloody Plum Cake with Crumble

Servings: 12
Time: 1hr 20mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
Print

Uhhhhh how about a slice of a bloody cake uhhhhhh its going to devour your taste buds uhhhhhh so yummy you might crave for more bloooooodddddd

Ingredients

Plums – 800g (+/- 700g pitted)
Lemon – Juice
Butter – 120g (Room Temperature)
Sugar – 140g
Eggs – 3 (Room Temperature)
Flour – 200g
Baking powder – 2 teaspoons
Salt – A pinch
Sugar – For sprinkling
Flour – For sprinkling
Butter – For greasing
Flour – 90g
Butter – 75g (Cold)
Sugar – 50g

Directions

Clean and wash the plums, remove the pits and cut into quarters, pour a little lemon juice on top of them to prevent oxidation and give a bit more zing.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease a false bottom cake pan, line the bottom with non-stick paper and grease everything with butter and sprinkle with flour.
In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the softened butter until you have a smooth, whitish mixture.
Then add the eggs one by one, whisking between each addition, followed by a pinch of salt.
Now, at the end, sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture without whisking hard, just mix so everything is well incorporated, don’t over mix.

Now prepare the crumble. Simply mix the 75g of very cold butter cubes, 90g of flour, and 50gr of sugar, crumbling with your fingers until you have a sandy texture with small and large pieces, also dont overwork it, it will melt the butter and it wont make a good crumble.

Finally, pour the batter into the pan, cover with the plums and crumble on top of the cake, and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes until well cooked (but please note it can take up to 1 hour to bake).

Now remove from the oven and let cool completely before unmolding, and enjoy and Happy Halloween! 🙂

Notes: You can make this cake also without the crumble on top, especially if you peeled the plums and you want a more healthier treat, it doesnt pack as much flavour but its still really yummy.

You want ripe and firm plums, and of course you can use any coloured plum, but red ones are obviously the best for this bloody effect ;D

Like all fruit cakes you should keep an eye on it, since your plums might be more dry or juicy than the ones i used or another variety, or you put one or two more or less, so you need to keep an eye and use my times as merely indicators on when you should e paying real attention, you don’t want to see excessive baking or browning.

Its also common to serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you want to over indulge hehehe.

This recipe for Rustic and Bloody Plum Cake with Crumble was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Bolo de Ameixas foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.