Baked in a tart pan, this beautiful little cake is downright elegant, with an impressive fluted edge. The buttery, tender crumb and fresh flavor are so evocative, you'll feel like you went to bed at home, but woke up in the south of France!
To render the experience
plus Français, serve the cake with
chocolat chaud or
café au lait.
Unwrap the butter ahead of time, and place it directly in the mixing bowl to soften
Nonstick spray for the pan
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup - plus 1 tablespoon - sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup - plus 1 tablespoon - unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
4 or 5 firm, ripe plums
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Optional Toppings
Vanilla yogurt
Crème Fraîche
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray the bottom of a 10-inch springform tart pan with nonstick spray.
- In a medium-large bowl, beat the butter for several minutes with an electric mixer at high speed. Add 2/3 cup sugar and beat for several minutes longer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla.
- In a second bowl, combine 1 cup flour with the salt and baking powder, slowly mixing them together with a whisk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two installments, alternating with the milk (dry-milk-dry). After each addition, mix from the bottom of the bowl‹just enough to blend‹ with a spoon or a rubber spatula. Don't overmix.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and spread it evenly into place. Let it rest while you prepare the topping.
- Halve the plums, and remove the pits. You can leave the halves intact, or slice them again, lengthwise, into quarters. Place the plums in a small bowl, add the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar, and toss to distribute. Then sprinkle in 1 tablespoon flour, and toss again until the plum pieces are fairly evenly coated. Arrange them on top of the batter in a pattern of your own design.
- Put the pan on a baking tray, and place it in the middle of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is golden and springy to the touch. Cool for at least 20 minutes before removing rim of the springform pan. Without removing it from the bottom section of the tart pan, place the cake on a serving plate, and cool for another 10 minutes or so before slicing.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla yogurt or Crème Fraîche. (It's also good plain.)