A quick and simple traybake, this Victoria plum cake with white chocolate is light, moist and flavoursome. Tart plums contrast deliciously with caramelised white chocolate and a spicy waft of cinnamon.
Last week’s foraging expedition in my mother’s garden yielded a handful of Victoria plums amongst other things. Initially, I was going to make a plum tart with them, but then I saw Ren Behan’s easy English plum cake recipe and thought I would adapt that instead.
Victoria Plum and White Chocolate Cake
I had to get chocolate in there of course and white seemed like the best bet to go with plums. I used my usual mix of half white and half wholemeal flour and made a couple of other minor adjustments.
The cake rose beautifully producing a light and moist sponge. The chunks of white chocolate caramelised giving a delicious occasional nugget of sweetness. What a gorgeous contrast to the tart plums.
Unfortunately they sank along with the chocolate. I’d been expecting them to be visible from the top giving added interest and a nice colourful appearance. The best laid plans. Next time, I’ll lay them gently on the top and not press them into the batter at all.
The cinnamon topping was a stroke of genius on Ren’s part. It gives a gorgeous spicy scent as well as an additional flavour and it works particularly well. This is such a simple and quick cake to put together with such good results, I must remember to use it again.
Other Plum Recipes You Might Like
- Almond plum tart
- Orange & beetroot cupcakes with a plum surprise
- Plum upside-down cake
- Plum walnut pizza
- Roasted plum parfait with lemon curd
- Rose plum yoghurt ice-lollies
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this Victoria plum traybake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Victoria Plum Cake. PIN IT.
Victoria Plum and White Chocolate Cake – The Recipe
Victoria Plum and White Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggs
- 240 ml sunflower oil
- 225 g golden caster sugar (I used cardamom sugar)
- 1 organic orange zested
- 130 g wholemeal flour
- 130 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (or use more wholemeal)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 50 g vanillary white chocolate (I used Green & Black’s) – finely chopped
- 8 Victoria plums halved and stoned
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp icing sugar
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs with the oil, sugar and the grated orange zest with electric beaters for a couple of minutes until thick and creamy.4 medium eggs, 240 ml sunflower oil, 225 g golden caster sugar, 1 organic orange
- Sift in the flours, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Fold in until just combined.130 g wholemeal flour, 130 g plain flour (all purpose flour), 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Stir in the chocolate.50 g vanillary white chocolate
- Scrape the batter into a 22cm (9″ sq) silicone cake mould or lined tin then place the plum halves, skin side up, on top.8 Victoria plums
- Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 35 minutes or until the cake is well risen and an inserted skewer comes out more or less clean.
- Allow to cool in the tin. Then mix the cinnamon and icing sugar and sift over the top.1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp icing sugar
- Cut into 16 squares.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
Ren Behan has entered her English plum cake into a competition whereby she needs people to bake her cake and then upload a photo of it to Cook’d. Do try it if you can. There might even be prizes for those taking part.
This month’s One Ingredient is plums. It was chosen by Nazima of Franglais Kitchen. I didn’t manage to enter last month’s cucumber challenge, so I was keen to get in there with my Victoria plum traybake this month.
I’m also sending this plummy bake over to Bookmarked Recipes run by Jac of Tinned Tomatoes.
Maria says
Recipe doesn’t work. Followed it meticulously….Rose well..looked great ….but centre stayed unbaked. First cake that hasn’t worked for me, but it is also the first recipe using oil. Traditional butter, sugar, eggs are classic and can’t be beat!! Taste in edible bits was great though! So the taste combination was good …
Choclette says
I’m sorry your cake didn’t bake properly Maria. It’s always difficult getting the timing right on these things as so much depends on ovens and types of baking pans used. It sounds like it just needed a little longer in the oven. It’s true oil cakes are generally moister than butter cakes, but they definitely have their place.
Christian Halfmann says
Oh, a lovely cake … yet another suggestion of what to do with my 1000 kg of plums. This week I’m having plums all over.
Nazima, Franglais Kitchen says
A lovely recipe, and your adaptation sounds super. Am sure it tasted just as good plums at top or in the cake itself!
Charlene F says
This looks beautiful a lovely combination of an Autumn fruit, and of course, chocolate x
Ren Behan says
Thank you so much for baking it to my recipe. I love the additions and substitutions you made, I hope it tasted as good as it looks! No idea why the plums sank, I usually don’t push them in too much and they stay just visible at the top. But hey ho, I’m sure they tasted delicious inside the cake – especially with the white chocolate! xx
Shu Han says
I saw this on Ren’s too and have bookmarked it for baking- just can’t get the time to! But will have to now that I see you’ve made it too and it looks wonderful! Love plums this time of the year 🙂
Jayne says
This looks lovely! I’ve given up trying to figure out how to stop fruit from sinking to the bottom, it still tastes as good! Great cake!
Katharine says
That looks gorgeous, I love these kind of cakes. Interesting that it uses oil not butter, bet that keeps it deliciously moist too.
thelittleloaf says
Yum to plum cake! And yes to the addition of chocolate, always 🙂
laura@howtocookgoodfood says
I know the feeling when fruit seems to sink to the bottom of a sponge. Happens to me with blackberries and raspberries and dried fruit too sometimes. But hardly matters when it tastes as good as this sounds. The cinnamon topping must really make it. A lovely entry for One Ingredient!
Baking Addict says
ooh looks good and I love the addition of chocolate. Yum!
The Caked Crusader says
I do love a plum cake – it’s a fruit that works so well in baking.
Angie Schneider says
The cake looks so light and moist…and I love the add of white chocolate.
belleau kitchen says
oooh, that does look very good and a proper puddingy cake… I bought a HUGE box of Victoria Plums yesterday with an idea to bake but I seem to have eaten my way through most of them instead! xx