Traybake Plum Sponge Cake

With summer nearly over, there is an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables that announce the coming of Autumn. Even the crispier air makes us think of colder and darker days. I absolutely love Fall and its earthy colours, and delicious fresh produce. And plums have to be one of my absolute favourite fruit.

Juicy and ripe plums can be enjoyed in all sorts of jams, desserts or drinks - our famous Romanian plum brandy is the very best! And this cake is not only ridiculously easy to make, but so delicious too. And you only need a few simple ingredients to make it.

Do make sure you use ripe plums, as their natural sweetness will sweeten the cake and add just the perfect amount of tartness. Unripe plums will stay pretty tough and will be too tart to be enjoyed, thus spoiling such a delightful dessert.

The amount of ingredients listed are enough for a large traybake, so adjust it if you want to make more or less cake. But trust me, the more, the better, as the slices disappear pretty quickly, they are that good!

Ingredients needed for a plum cake

For this simple cake we only need a handful of ingredients that you already have around -  plus some delicious plums that have to be halved and pitted. The ingredients needed:

• eggs - make sure they are at room temperature
• sugar - regular granulated sugar is absolutely fine
• flour - self-raising flour is the best, but plain can also be used if you add baking powder
• oil - regular vegetable oil can be used without any problem
• milk - in baking I prefer full-fat milk, but semi-skimmed could be used too
• vanilla extract - but any other extract can be used too

Easy swaps

The plums can be replaced with apricots, peaches, cherries and sweet cherries, and even grapes. Just follow the same steps, and keep an eye on the oven, as different ovens can bring different results.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

1. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
2. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a creamy consistency.
3. Add the oil and milk, continuing to mix.
4. Sift in the flour and vanilla extract, and mix to get a thick batter.

1. Separately, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you get stiff peaks.
2. Incorporate the egg whites into the batter, making sure you use a spatula to mix gently.

1. Pour the batter onto the tray lined with non-stick paper.
2. Cut the plums in half and pit them, and dust slightly in flour
3. Then arrange each half on top of the batter, as closely as possible to each other.
4. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 20-25 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Dust with icing sugar, then cut into squares.

Expert tips

This traybake dessert is simplicity in itself, and a super easy one to bake if you are not a very confident baker. Simple ingredients, simple steps to follow, and you get a fantastic dessert that absolutely everyone will love.

Dusting the plums in flour might seem like a strange step to follow, but that helps keep the plums at the top, rather than sink at the bottom of the sponge.

Other plum recipes

Looking for more Autumn desserts made with delicious plums for your Thanksgiving party? How about my Plum Dumplings? Or perhaps a good old Apple and Plum Crumble? Decisions, decisions...