Brown Sugar.<\/strong> For the streusel topping on this plum cake, you need 6 tablespoons of brown sugar. It can be light or dark brown sugar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Flour<\/strong>. The streusel topping needs 1\/4 cup of all-purpose flour, while the soft vanilla cake part needs another 1.5 cups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Cornmeal<\/strong>. For a little bit of crunch, we are adding 2 tablespoons of cornmeal to the streusel. Yellow or white cornmeal both work well here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Ground Ginger<\/strong>. One-half teaspoon of ground ginger brings a subtle warmth to the topping for this plum cake. Plums and ginger are best friends!<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Salt<\/strong>. One pinch of salt for the topping, and 1\/4 teaspoon for the cake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Butter<\/strong>. We need one whole stick (8 tablespoons\/ 113 grams) of unsalted butter for this recipe. It’s okay to use butter straight from the fridge or freezer, because we’re using 1\/2 of the butter cold and diced for the topping. The remaining half stick will be melted for the cake batter.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Plums<\/strong>. This recipe requires 5 small plums, about 11 ounces of fresh fruit. The type of plums you use matter! I used the ruby red Santa Rosa plums for this cake when I was photographing it, but you can use regular black plums with the yellow flesh, too. Just note that the color of plum you use will change the appearance of the inside of the cake. Note: we are not peeling the plums! Plums are sweet, and their skin is tart–we want both!<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Granulated Sugar<\/strong>. Two-thirds of a cup of granulated sugar for the cake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Egg Whites<\/strong>. This recipe calls for 2 egg whites. Please reserve the egg yolks for another recipe, like my chocolate chip cookie cake<\/a><\/span>. Or my strawberry tiramisu<\/a><\/span>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Vanilla<\/strong>. One teaspoon of real vanilla extract.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Baking Powder<\/strong>. One and a half teaspoons of baking powder to make it rise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n

Whole Milk<\/strong>. Six tablespoons of whole milk will be the liquid in the batter. Anytime you include milk in a dessert recipe, it makes a really tender. This is why you almost never see milk as an ingredient in a cookie recipe, because we like chewy, dense cookies. (The exception to this rule: lofthouse cookies<\/a><\/span> and tea cakes<\/a><\/span> because we want them to be soft and fluffy).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
$\"Overhead$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
How to Make Plum Cake with Streusel Topping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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First, make the cake topping: whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cornmeal, ginger, and pinch of salt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Add the cold diced butter to the bowl.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Use your finger tips or a pastry blender to work the butter into the mixture to make a crumbly mixture. Set aside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Wash and dice the plums, leaving the skin on for flavor! Set aside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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$\"Yellow$ <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Make the cake: whisk together the melted butter, sugar, egg whites, and vanilla.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Evenly sprinkle the flour, baking powder, and salt on top, and lightly stir it in. Add the diced plums, and stir again. Finally, stir in the milk last! (Try not to overmix this plum cake batter).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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$\"White$ <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Pour the batter into a buttered 8-inch square pan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Evenly sprinkle the streusel mixture on top, and then bake for 35-38 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean (some moist crumbs are okay). Let cool, cut into squares and serve.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
$\"Square$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Recipe Variations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Fruit<\/strong> – Please play around and use any type of summer stone fruit you have! Peaches, nectarines, cherries, and plums all pair well with ginger.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Spices<\/strong> – Let’s say ginger isn’t your thing (which is too bad because it’s so good for you), you can use an equal amount of ground cinnamon in its place. Ground cardamom would be good here, too!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Dairy<\/strong> – If you don’t have milk, you can use half and half to make this cake. I haven’t tried it with soy milk or almond milk, but I don’t recommend it because they have less protein than milk. (The protein structure in milk is what makes baked goods super tender and crumbly).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
$\"Slice$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Make Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can make this plum cake up to one day ahead of time and store it at room temperature on the counter (tightly wrapped). The leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge, but please note that the streusel loses its crispness when it’s stored or baked ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n
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$\"Slices$ <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Plum Cake<\/h2>\n

How to Make Plum Cake with Streusel Topping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n