Brown Butter Cardamom Yogurt Plum Cake
When plums are at their best in Summer and early Fall, this is the cake I turn to. It’s the perfect snacking cake that comes together very quickly— the only part that takes time is making the brown butter (which can be done in advance). I love using a variety of plums to top the cake, from small pale green plumcots to large black plums and every kind in between. When arranging the plums on the cake, I usually recommend keeping all the smaller halves to one side— when placing in the oven to bake keep that side to the front of the oven (the door side) which is usually a tad lower in temp. The cake is perfect for breakfast, anytime snacking or dessert and while a dollop of whipped cream or Greek yogurt is suggested, I usually love it plain— the plums have given their juices and created their own kind of jam on top.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar, plus one tablespoon
2 eggs, at room temp
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
5-6 plums of different varieties, pitted and cut in half
METHOD
Make the brown butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter until golden brown with a nutty fragrance, approximately 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cover and place in fridge until firm. This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
Preheat oven to 350F. Take brown butter from fridge and bring to room temperature. Butter and flour a 9” springform cake pan. Add a circle of parchment on the bottom of the pan and butter and flour. Tap out excess flour and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cardamom, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
To a large bowl, add brown butter along with sugar, eggs and vanilla. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth and combined. Add yogurt and mix to combine. Add flour mixture in 3 parts, using a large spatula to fold batter together. Batter will be stiff. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and smooth top. Arrange plums, cut side down, on top of batter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 1 hour (tent with foil for the last 5-10 minutes if top is getting too brown).
Cool completely on a rack. If desired, serve with whipped cream, ice cream or Greek yogurt.