Tuesday, September 23, 2008

TWD: Dimply Plum Cake

Whew!  A break from cookies!  This week's recipe was chosen by Michelle of Bake-En.  We were all pleased, at my house, to have something a little different.

I found these adorable little plums at Trader Joe's called Sugar Plums.  They are about the size of, well, a small plum.  I dutifully read the other baker's notes and proceeded to screw up anyway.

The batter came together easily.  Because my plums were so small and cute, I was able to use the eight that were called for.  I gently and carefully laid them in the pan.  I baked it for exactly 40 minutes.  My kitchen smelled fabulous!  I tested it with a cake tester and a knife.  I put it on the cooling rack for exactly 15 minutes.  That's when I noticed that the center was a little sunken in.  Ok, maybe more than a little.  I decided to flip it out of the pan anyway.

Oooops.



Totally fell apart.  Totally.  And see, I had been warned.  A few people mentioned that it didn't always hold together around the plums.  In this exact state, I threw it back in the oven.  It baked a little longer, or maybe it just dried out a little.  Regardless, it was really really tasty.  This is absolutely a recipe that I would make again.  I'm very glad I bought the cardamom.  It added a wonderful flavor dimension.

I think that the next time I make this, I'll use cut up apples.  Although the plum flavor was nice, the large pieces make it a little dangerous.  Plus, the skin on the plums added a little odd taste.

Doesn't this view make it look like an alien?



Don't look for Creme Brulee here next week.  Mari of Mevrouw Cupcake has chosen a perfectly wonderful recipe.  However, we're out of town this weekend (Homecoming!  Go Hawkeyes!), and Rosh Hashana starts Monday evening.  I'll be happy to show you my homemade chicken soup, kreplach, and apple cake.  Plus I'll be baking for the tailgate and Cpt. Daleske.  Yes!  I'm full of excuses!  Regardless, I'll be back with Dorie in October.

24 comments:

Cathy said...

Ack! An alien!!!! You know, if I wasn't willing to eat broken up cakes, or cakes that are half stuck to the pan, I'd rarely eat any cake I baked. I'm glad you liked this! I bet those cute little plums made a huge difference. We'll miss you next week, but it sounds like you'll have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

i don't know - i think enough of us had problems with the cake baking correctly to suggest that there's a problem with the technique. still, the cake bits taste good!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Well...at least it tasted good right? :) For some reason I didn't flip mine out of the pan. I so miss Trader Joes!

CB said...

Oh no!! Poor cake. I think my heart breaks a little when I drop baked goods. Glad you enjoyed it nonetheless. Great job!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

marae said...

lol i love the alien shot...i halved the recipe and didn't use plums, i used apples, i think a less 'juicy' fruit would not cause so much moisture in the middle, but yours still LOOKS yummy!!!! love it.

Jamie said...

Alien eyes!!! Mine fell apart too the first time, so I made it again! :)

TeaLady said...

Alien cake!!! UFOs ARE real... Did you call Roswell?? Don't feel bad, my cake cracked when I tried to remove it, too. So photographed the other side.... Glad it tasted good.

Peggy said...

I wish I had gotten the smaller plums, but all I could find were these huge ones. Have a great off weekend!

Unknown said...

Haha sorry it didn't work out perfectly but I'm really glad you still enjoyed it!

chocolatechic said...

So sorry yours fell apart.

As long as it tasted good, that is all that counts, right?

Tammy said...

bummer! It still looks delicious!

Anonymous said...

OMW...I burst out laughing when I read you just threw the whole thing back in the oven and cooked 'er up some more...gotta love a baker who does that! LOL! You are such fun.

SPEAKING OF FUN: I AM SOOOOOO GOING TO BE AT HOMECOMING THIS WEEK IN IC...GO HAWKS V. NORTHWESTERN! Want to get together at my sisters and make the creme brulee???? LOL.

Carol Peterman/TableFare said...

Cake bits are a mighty fine snack as long as the cake wasn't supposed to be served to dinner guests! Cardamom is one of my favorite spices. Now that you have some you will have to start putting it in all sorts of things. I love it in pancakes with walnuts.

Anonymous said...

what? you're leaving me without any good posts? no fair!

The Food Librarian said...

I should have put my cake back into the oven! My first batch had a meeting with Mr. Trashcan. I love the apple and honey dishes of the high holy days. Have a nice time at homecoming!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Love the alien! Those plums look amazing and I'm glad you liked the cake despite the underbaking woes. The cardamom was divine, imo.
Nancy

Audrey said...

I have a chocolate cake recipe that I love...but I always ALWAYS end up eating (only) the edges and throwing away the sunken, stuck-on middle. I've never figured out why! I'm glad you could still nibble.

Jayne said...

I love the alien shot! And at least it tasted good, right? I was thinking apples would be nice to use, too.

Engineer Baker said...

I think that when cakes break, that just means that you get to snack on it all you want. Right?

Christine said...

It still tasted good and that is all that matters!

Anonymous said...

Oh no. But really, it is the taste that matters.

hoagiefest 2020 said...

I love the cake alien, and I love the fact that I'm not the only disaster this week :-p. I bet it tasted awesome.

AmyRuth said...

I'm a member of that disaster club. So glad I was only serving it to me and the hubs. We loved it, glad you did too. Thanks for stopping by.
AmyRuth

AmyRuth said...
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