What a week, and it isn’t over yet…ugh.  I am staring at the mound of bills and papers on my desk at home, just wondering when I am ever going to get through everything – let alone the emails in my inbox that just keep piling up.  If I owe you a mail, I am not ignoring you, I swear.  I hate these types of weeks.  After a week like this, I need an entire day just to bake.   It is the only way I can get through it.  I have already decided what I am making this weekend…and I can’t wait.  The swimming pool closed last weekend, which means fall is here – and fall baking is my absolute favorite.

Last weekend my neighbor dropped off a huge bag of plums from their tree.  I am pretty sure they are not bakers – and they do not know I have a blog – but I figured I had no excuse not to make something with all those plums.  I saw a recipe a while ago in Cooking Light for Plum Kuchen, and made it soon afterwards – and it was surprisingly delicious.  I don’t even like plums, but the cake had a layer of caramelized sugar around it, and the plums basically baked right into the batter.  It was pretty awesome.  I even made it for my family when I was visiting them back east, and everyone seemed to love it (or else they were just happy to have me bake).  I barely made a dent in the plums they gave me, so can you guess what I am baking this weekend?

Ingredients

• 6 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 7 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 pounds plums, quartered and pitted
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cardamom in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine milk, vanilla, and egg in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter into a 9-inch round metal cake pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange plums in a circular pattern over batter.

Combine remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, lemon rind, and allspice in a small bowl, stirring well. Place remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 30 seconds or until butter melts. Stir into sugar mixture. Sprinkle plums evenly with sugar mixture. Bake at 425° for 35 minutes or until browned and bubbling. Cool in pan 1 hour on a wire rack. Cut into wedges.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Plum Kuchen