Rustic French-style late summer plum cake (gâteau aux prunes de fin d’été) – with deep butter-y texture and fresh baked plums (prunes) on top. Easy dump cake recipe that can be made with prunes, apricots and/or peaches too. Vegetarian, kid-friendly.
Late summer desserts capture the best of the season, featuring fresh, ripe fruits and light, refreshing flavors. We enjoy them so much because they provide a sweet, satisfying way to celebrate the last of summer’s bounty before autumn arrives.
Same is true for this lovely refreshing French summer cake. This recipe is a favorite, especially to one of my boys who never forgets to ask for dessert after each meal. Clever boy, mama’s boy.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh plums – halved and stones removed. Alternatively, use apricots, peaches or a mix of the latter.
- Flour – unbleached cake or all purpose white flour
- Sugar – powdered sugar is needed
- Butter
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
How to make late summer plum cake from scratch?
1st: Beat powdered sugar and butter, add eggs one by one and beat further on low speed.
2nd: Slowly add in milk, while still beating on low. Add in the flour, baking powder and vanilla. Arrange the plums on top and do not press – bake in preheated oven as directed.
Behind the Bites
While plums are deeply rooted in French food culture today, their story begins much farther east. The European plum (Prunus domestica) is believed to have originated in the regions around the Caucasus, Anatolia, and western Asia before making its way across Europe through trade and cultivation.
France eventually developed several plum varieties of its own, including the famous Reine-Claude, named after Claude of France, the wife of King Francis I. Another famous and agriculturally significant variety is the Mirabelle plums. By the 17th and 18th centuries, Mirabelle plums had become firmly established in northeastern France, particularly in Lorraine, where they thrived in the local climate and gradually became a regional specialty.
Their importance grew even further in the late 19th century, when the phylloxera epidemic devastated vineyards across parts of France. In Lorraine, many farmers replaced their vines with plum orchards, dramatically increasing Mirabelle production and helping shape the region’s agricultural identity.
Today, Lorraine produces an estimated 70–80% of the world’s commercial Mirabelle crop. In recognition of its heritage and unique regional character, the Mirabelle de Lorraine was granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status in 1996, securing its place as one of France’s protected agricultural treasures.
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Rustic French Late Summer Plum Cake
Equipment
- 1 cake pan (10 inch/26cm)
Ingredients
1 cup = 200 ml
- 4 eggs, medium
- 1,1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 250 g butter, soft
- 1/2 cup milk
- 250 g flour, all purpose
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 2-3 drops vanilla extract
- 1 kg small plums, halved and pitted
Instructions
- Beat powdered sugar and soft, room temperature butter until creamy and foamy.
- One by one add eggs and beat further (otherwise they may crumble) until all eggs are well incorporated.
- Slowly, while constantly beating add milk. Next, add flour, baking powder and vanilla extract. Beat on low until homogenous, while trying to preserve the puffiness of the dough.
- Transfer cake batter into greased cake pan and arrange halved plums on top (without pressing), skin down, tightly next to one another.
- Bake in preheated oven 200C/400F until a toothpick comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar, cut and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Great recipe