Plum Good Desserts
Plum trees are a beautiful sight to behold in springtime when in full bloom. They emit a heavenly fragrance which fills the yard with its scent and attracts honey bees for pollination. These excellent fruit trees are very hardy and many Amish farm orchards will include a few varieties to supply the family with fresh fruit for eating, making jellies and preserves or for drying. The plums are generally divided into three different groups-European, Damson and Japanese.
The European varieties are great for eating fresh and for canning. The Damson type plums are tart, perfect for cooking and making preserves and jellies. Japanese plums don’t do too well in the northern states; they are prone to spring frost injuries and fruit yields are generally low if a crop is produced.
When choosing plums in the orchard, from the farm stand or at the market look for high quality plums. These plums will be well shaped, firm and free from defects like insect damage, bruising or disease spots. Color is a poor indicator of quality as plums come in a variety of colors. The best way to determine if a plum is ripe is to use your thumb to apply gentle pressure to the fruit. If the flesh is starting to soften the fruit will be ready for use. The Amish have many delicious recipes which call for plums. Here’s a fantastic spice plum cake from the Amish:
Amish Fresh Spice Plum Cake
1 pound fresh plums
3 c. all purpose flour
2 c. white sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. each ground allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Spray a spring form pan with cooking spray. Wash and dry plums. Pit and half the plums and then place them with cut sides up in the bottom of the pan. Set the pan aside as you prepare the batter. Place flour, sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl and blend until the flour is moistened. Add the eggs to the mix and blend well. In a smaller bowl, mix the soda, salt and spices. Add to wet mix and stir thoroughly. Add the extracts and mix for one final time. Pour the batter over the plums in the pan, being careful not to shift the plums. Place pan in oven and bake for 55 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Invert the pan over your serving plate and remove cake from pan. This cake is delicious served warm with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you fancy a smoother dessert with plums here’s a lovely plum custard kuchen recipe:
Plum Custard Kuchen
Cake base:
1 1/3 c. all purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1/3 c. butter
1 egg
1 c. milk
Plums, pitted and halved
½ c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 ° F. Grease the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan. Into a large bowl sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Beat the egg and milk together and then stir into the mixture. Pat this dough into the bottom of the cake pan. Take the plum halves and arrange them over the top of the dough, covering the surface completely. Mix the ½ c. sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the plums and dough. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. While this bakes mix the custard ingredients together.
1 egg
½ c. sour cream
½ c. buttermilk
1/3 c. sugar
Remove cake from oven and pour custard over the top. Put back into the oven, reduce heat to 350 ° F and bake for 30 minutes. This dessert is best served warm.
