One of my favourite aspects of summer in New Zealand is plums. From the small, cute, yellow-fleshed variety, through to the hearty, darkly-hued omegas, I love them all. Tart sharp acidic skin? Soft sweet juicy interior? I’ll take the lot.
This cake is a simple celebration of the humble plum. Handfuls of juicy plums are studded into a not-too-sweet cake batter, then sprinkled with a light, nutty crumble topping. The plums are truly the star of the show, their tart bite still shining through the gently sweetened cake & topping.
Before we go on, I need to mention that the crumble contains gluten free oats, which leads us to this Important Oat Note:
Please be aware that regular supermarket oats are not gluten free. Although oats don’t naturally contain gluten, it’s my understanding that most of the global supply is grown alongside wheat and then also harvested & processed with wheat. Many coeliacs cannot handle this cross contamination. Gluten free oats are available but you have to hunt them out. There are options online, though I’m lucky enough to find mine at my local bulk foods store. I’m also lucky that my coeliac daughter has no problem with gf oats. BUT, please also be aware that some coeliacs are still sensitive to ALL oats, so if you’re planning to cook oats for a coeliac, please check in with them first.
If you’re avoiding oats, substitute the 3 Tbsp in the crumble with nuts or seeds of your choice. In the photo below, I’ve used extra ground almonds, chopped walnuts, and a mix of pumpkin, sunflower & sesame seeds. Lovely!
For the plum cake
1 ripe banana
2 free range eggs, or vegan egg substitute
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp pure vanilla
3 Tbsp coconut sugar
1 cup sorghum flour (or half brown rice, half buckwheat)
¼ cup tapioca flour (or arrowroot)
1 tsp gf baking powder
1 Tbsp psyllium
around 10 dark plums, chopped (possibly a couple more if you use the small Xmas variety)
For the crumble topping
3 Tbsp gluten free oats (or swap for mix of chopped nuts & seeds)
1 heaped Tbsp coconut sugar
3 good Tbsp ground almonds
handful of hazelnuts, chopped or roughly crushed
2 Tbsp olive or melted coconut oil
Preheat the oven to 175C.
Start by making the cake component. In a mixing bowl, mash the banana, then mix in the eggs, oil, vanilla & coconut sugar.
Add the flours, psyllium & baking powder and mix well. Pour/spread the batter into a greased cake tin (or line with parchment/baking paper), then pile the chopped plums (and any juice) on top. Press the plum into the batter, so pretty much the whole surface is covered with juicy red fragments.
Now for the crumble: mix all ingredients together, then sprinkle over the top of the plum cake.
Pop into the oven for 25 minutes.
Best served warm & fresh, though a cold slice for breakfast wins my vote too.
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