This delicious plum coffee cake comes with a tender cake base, fresh and juicy plums, topped with crispy streusel. The cake base is a simple pound cake, which couldn’t be easier to make!
I love that this cake is not too sweet, made with fresh fruit, a super simple cake base and, of course, that deliciously crispy streusel topping!
Plum cake – like this easy plum cake – are amongst my favorites. The combination of perfectly ripe and sweet yet slightly sour fruit with a crunchy topping is hard to beat. That’s why I also love crumbles, like this peach crumble so much!
Which plums to use?
This plum cake is a very traditional and beloved cake in Austria and Germany. It’s typically served in late summer and fall, when damsons (small plums) are in season.
I usually use smaller plums and prunes like European plums or Italian plums/prunes, or damsons for this cake. Varieties that are freestone, meaning that they are easy to remove from the pit, are preferred. But if smaller plums are not on hand, you could certainly slice larger plums into sixths or eights.
When cooked, the plums turn into a dark pink or purple color due to their peels. Everything is tainted purple, even the yellow flesh. I always admire this color so much.
Cake base
The base cake layer is basically a pound cake. You simply have to weigh the eggs in their shell, and then use the same weight of sugar, butter, and flour for your cake.
The method is so simple, it couldn’t be easier! The cake is moist and tender yet holds the plums and their juices perfectly fine. For me, it’s the ideal cake base for fruit cakes.
Streusel topping
The crispy streusel on top are made of flour, ground walnuts (or other nuts like hazelnuts), butter, and sugar. I prefer coarse brown sugar like demerera or turbinado, which will make the crumble topping extra crispy. And don’t forget to add some cinnamon. It pairs beautifully with the plums.
Recipe plum streusel coffee cake
This plum cake boasts a moist filling on a simple pound cake with a crispy topping. As always, get the ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Prepare ingredients and pan: Remove eggs and butter (for cake and streusel) from the fridge to soften. Line an 10-inch cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper or grease with butter (use some of the softened butter from the cake batter for this).
Wash plums, let them drain, remove pits and cut them into quarters. If using large plums, cut into sixths or eights. Set aside.
For the streusel topping, combine flour, ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
Rub softened butter into this mixture of dry ingredients – start with a spoon first and then use your fingers.
The mixture should resemble cookie dough. Put the bowl in the fridge for streusel topping to firm up a bit, which makes it easier to distribute later.
For the cake base, weigh the eggs in their shell, and then use the same weight of sugar, butter, and flour for the cake. Briefly cream softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt with a hand- or standmixer.
Add the first egg and briefly mix.
And then add the second egg. Beat until creamy, about 3 minutes.
Add flour and baking powder, briefly mix with your fingers until baking powder is combined with the flour. Mix in flour with the mixer until combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.
Smooth the batter with a spatula.
Assemble the cake: Distribute sliced plums on the cake batter. Leave a 1/4 –inch rim around the edges for an easy removal of the cake from the pan later (the plums get syrupy and otherwise stick to the pan or baking paper).
Dust plums with a fine layer of cinnamon (about ¼ teaspoon). Optional, for extra sweet plums: sprinkle plums with 2 teaspoons sugar. Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C)
Top the plums evenly with crumbled streusel topping.
Bake for about 45 minutes until streusel topping is golden.
Serve slightly warm or cold. The plum cake tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The cake keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.
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Did you make this recipe? Let me know in the comments how it turned out and also leave me a star rating if you want :)
Plum Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
Cake base:
- 1 stick (114 g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (114 g) sugar (or weight of 2 eggs with shell)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs, at room temperature (large eggs in the US, medium in Europe; 1 egg weighs 57 g including shell)
- 1 scant cup (114 g) all-purpose flour (or weight of 2 eggs with shell)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Plums:
- 12 oz /350 g small plums/prunes (like damsons or Italian/European plums; use up to 1 pound for an extra fruity cake)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
Streusel topping*:
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (75 g) ground walnuts/walnut meal (other ground nuts or almond meal work well too)
- 4 tablespoons (55 g) brown sugar (coarse brown sugar like demerera or turbinado makes for a crunchy topping)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 5 ½ tablespoons (75g) butter, softened
For serving:
- Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Instructions
Prepare:
- Remove eggs and butter (for cake and streusel) from the fridge to soften.
- Wash plums, let them drain, remove pits and cut them into quarters. If using large plums, cut into sixths or eights. Set aside.
- Line an 10-inch (26 cm) cake pan or springform pan with parchment paper or grease with butter (use some of the softened butter from the cake batter for this).
Streusel topping:
- Combine flour, ground walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
- Rub softened butter into this mixture of dry ingredients – start with a spoon first and then use your fingers until the mixture resembles cookie dough. Put the bowl in the fridge for streusel topping to firm up a bit, which makes it easier to distribute later.
Cake base:
- Weigh the eggs in their shell, and then use the same weight of sugar, butter, and flour for the cake – or simply use the amounts in the ingredients list.
- Briefly cream softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt with a hand- or standmixer. Add eggs one at a time and beat until creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add flour and baking powder, briefly mix with your fingers until baking powder is combined with the flour. Mix in flour with the mixer until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and smooth the batter with a spatula.
Assemble:
- Distribute sliced plums on the cake batter. Leave a 1/4 –inch rim around the edges for an easy removal of the cake from the pan later (the plums get syrupy and otherwise stick to the pan or baking paper). Dust plums with a fine layer of cinnamon (about ¼ teaspoon). Optional, for extra sweet plums: sprinkle plums with 2 teaspoons sugar. Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C)
- Top the plums evenly with crumbled streusel topping. Bake for about 45 minutes until streusel topping is golden.
- Serve slightly warm or cold. The plum cake tastes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.
I will try this recipe when it’s autumn here in New Zealand. In the general description you mention a 10 inch pan, however, the instructions require an 8 inch one. Which one is correct please ?
Hi Christel,
Thanks so much for pointing this out. I’ve changed it now. It’s a 10-inch (26 cm) cake pan but it would definitely work with a 8-inch pan too. The cake would come out a little thicker though. Hope that you’ll try it in your fall. Here in Europe it’s plum season right now :)))
Ursula
Thank you, Ursula. It’s definitely on my list to bake. My three plum trees have just started flowering. Hoping for a good harvest.