As with almost any avid baker, my personality leans a little more type A than I’d care to admit. How can I dare to be one of those mysterious, whimsical, care-free women while simultaneously color-coding my grocery list based on the careful memorization of every aisle? I’ve discovered a hack for myself, and it’s called balance. Some days I pre-plan a bake and walk into the store with a beautifully detailed list. Other days, I simply write, “fruit?” and leave with gorgeous in-season (and on-sale) plums — with no clue what I’ll do with them.

A few days later, my spontaneous desire to bake hits. You can find me standing in front of my open refrigerator, conducting what I call “inspiration inventory.” I scan to see what I have on hand, and with a bit of imagination, there’s always something. Half a lemon, an unfinished container of sour cream from a chicken tortilla soup, and… four gorgeous plums. Cue the happy dance, because suddenly a vision forms: a Sour Cream Plum Cake.

Fall is always the time of year I start intuitively making these simple, delicious German-style cakes. Growing up, this was the season my mom made an old family recipe for a German Apple Torte Cake. In my opinion, these cakes are the best because they aren’t overly sweet. They get their flavor and moisture from fresh fruit, making for a rich, almost jammy texture, and they aren’t covered in frosting – a rustic celebration of seasonal produce.

Although I’m a hobby baker, I do have a culinary arts degree from Mississippi University for Women, so I know a thing or two about technical baking. Dear reader, I would be doing us all a disservice if I didn’t give you this recipe in metric. If you’re not already, I lovingly urge you to try baking with a kitchen scale. Your bakes will turn out more consistent and honestly, be easier and less messy to pull together.

This recipe is adapted from Red Currant Bakery’s Yogurt Plum Cake (redcurrantbakery.com). I made a few changes based on what I had on hand – and I encourage you to do the same! The original called for yogurt, which I substituted with sour cream. It also called for a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, but I used almond flour for a deeper, heartier flavor. Don’t worry if you don’t have almond flour – just add a bit more all-purpose flour. This cake is forgiving and will turn out delicious no matter what substitutions you make.

I hope you’ll try this one out! It’s delightful with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, yogurt, or whipped cream, but I devoured mine with my bare hands next to a steaming mug of coffee. Let this be a reminder to leave room in your life for inspiration, spontaneity, and a little bit of magic.

SOUR CREAM PLUM CAKE

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Equipment: 9-inch springform pan

Ingredients:
Cake Batter
150 grams all-purpose flour
50 grams almond flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
200 grams granulated sugar
150 grams salted butter, very soft
100 grams sour cream, room temperature
3 eggs, room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1 teaspoon lemon paste or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Fruit Topping
4 plums
30 grams all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Finishing
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Directions:
Vanilla Cake Batter:
■ Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
■ In a medium bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest. Rub with your fingers until fragrant and slightly clumpy.
■ Add butter, vanilla extract, lemon paste or almond extract (if using), and salt. Stir with a rubber spatula to combine.
■ Add eggs one at a time, whisking to incorporate after each addition.
■ Stir in sour cream, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
■ Add all-purpose and almond flours, baking soda, and baking powder. Use a spatula to mix until just combined. Scrape sides as needed.
■ Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper or grease with baking spray. If you don’t have a springform pan, a standard cake pan will work.

Assemble and Bake Cake:
■ Pour batter into prepared pan and level with a rubber or offset spatula.
■ Wash and halve plums, removing stones. Place 30 grams of flour in a small bowl.
■ Dip each plum half, skin side down, into flour, then arrange closely together on top of the cake. Cover skin surfaces but not the cut sides.
■ Sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over cake and plums.
■ Chill cake in the refrigerator for 5–10 minutes.
■ Bake for 30 minutes, rotate pan 180 degrees, then bake 25–30 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center (avoiding plums) comes out clean.
■ Let cake cool 10 minutes, run a knife around the edges, release the springform, and cool at least 20 more minutes.
■ Dust with powdered sugar and serve with ice cream, yogurt, whipped cream, or enjoy plain with coffee or tea.

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