Old-Fashioned Plum and Raspberry Cake
Plums are typically eaten out of hand, but I especially love them cooked into a tart, fragrant ruby-red medley. Adding only a handful of raspberries to the plums enhances the plums with berry flavor. It’s a mix that speaks of summer.
These desserts take full advantage of that combination. They’re easy to make, can serve a party of 10 and can be made a day ahead.
To remove the pit from firm plums, slice the plum right to the pit, cutting off the slices as you work along and discarding the pit when it’s finally disengaged. For these recipes, you can substitute two to three medium plums for each large plum. All tart plums are interchangeable and exact measurements are not critical to their success.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch springform pan. Set it aside on a baking sheet (to catch any juices).
Use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs; mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the batter. Mix until smooth. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Arrange the plum slices evenly over the surface. Scatter the raspberries evenly over the plums. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over the fruit.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. The batter will cover some of the fruit as it bakes. Cool the cake at least 1 hour before serving. (This can be made a day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered. To serve, reheat in 300-degree oven until warm, about 12 minutes.) Cut into wedges with scoops of ice cream.
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