Classic Italian Plum Cake Recipe: Moist, Simple Homemade Cake

If you have the last sweet pieces of summer fruit sitting in your bowl, this easy single-layer plum cake is a perfect way to use them. This Plum Cake features a crunchy streusel made with brown sugar, cornmeal, and a hint of ginger for a bright, crisp topping. It’s quick to make and ideal as a snack cake or dessert.

When plums bake, they soften and collapse into little pockets of jammy fruit—sweet-tart bursts that contrast beautifully with a tender vanilla cake. Depending on the variety, those pockets can be magenta, red, or golden.

I often choose Santa Rosa plums for their vibrant ruby flesh, but any ripe stone fruit works. The cake is made in an 8-inch pan for a single-layer loaf that’s soft and slightly cottony, with juicy plum bits and a crisp top.

This cake is technically a buckle—a streusel-topped cake with fresh fruit. As it bakes, the fruit and topping mingle and create the characteristic “buckled” texture.

Ingredients

• Brown sugar — 6 tablespoons (light or dark) for the streusel.
• All-purpose flour — 1/4 cup for the streusel and 1 1/2 cups for the cake.
• Cornmeal — 2 tablespoons in the streusel for crunch (yellow or white).
• Ground ginger — 1/2 teaspoon in the streusel for warmth. (Cinnamon or cardamom can be substituted.)
• Salt — a pinch for the streusel and 1/4 teaspoon for the cake.
• Butter — 1 stick (8 tablespoons / 113 g) unsalted: 4 tablespoons cold and diced for the streusel, 4 tablespoons melted for the batter.
• Plums — 5 small plums (about 10–11 oz). Use ripe stone fruit; keep the skins on for flavor.
• Granulated sugar — 2/3 cup for the cake batter.
• Egg whites — 2 large (reserve yolks for another use).
• Vanilla extract — 1 teaspoon.
• Baking powder — 1 1/2 teaspoons.
• Whole milk — 6 tablespoons. (Half-and-half works if you don’t have milk; plant milks may change texture.)

How to Make Plum Cake with Streusel Topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Make the streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and a pinch of salt. Add 4 tablespoons cold diced butter and work it in with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Prepare the plums: Slice each plum in half, remove the pit, slice the halves, then chop the slices into 3–4 pieces. Leave the skins on for flavor. Set aside.

Make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons melted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 egg whites, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Evenly sprinkle 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt over the wet mixture and gently stir to incorporate. Stir in the diced plums, then add 6 tablespoons whole milk and mix until no dry streaks remain. Take care not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared 8-inch pan, spread it evenly, and sprinkle the streusel over the top. Bake for 35–38 minutes, until the streusel is golden and a cake tester inserted comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).

Let the cake cool in the pan, then cut into squares and serve. The contrast of the soft cake, jammy plum pockets, and crisp streusel is best served at room temperature or slightly warm.

Recipe Variations

• Fruit: Swap plums for peaches, nectarines, or cherries—any ripe stone fruit pairs well with the ginger-cornmeal topping.
• Spices: If ginger isn’t preferred, substitute an equal amount of ground cinnamon or try ground cardamom for a different aroma.
• Dairy: Use half-and-half instead of milk for extra richness. I don’t recommend thin plant milks if you want the same tender crumb.

Make Ahead

This cake can be made up to one day ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature. Leftovers keep up to 3 days refrigerated; note the streusel will soften over time.