“A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”
Thomas Keller
When you hear the words “This is SO GOOD! Can I have another piece? Yummm! And another?” … you know you’ve hit a home run! That’s just what happened when I passed around this Plum Almond Ginger Summer Fruit Cake dotted with sweet yet tart plums, the end of the summer fruit here. The pre teens words were music to my tired ears, my day suddenly looking up!
The tiresome teen too abandoned her swinging diet and settled for a couple of squares. For the first time in a while she declared, “I want to take some to school!” At almost 16 years old, this summer fruit cake must have been pretty good to make her carry a snack box to school.
“I’ll take 10 pieces to school”, the teen went on to say, while the lad saw his sweet dreams literally fly out of the window! To cut a long story short, I didn’t have ’10 left for school’, so the dieting diva settled down and ate 2 more squares! The pooch ran round longingly but with little luck! She had grabbed her plum earlier! 
Given my obsession with baking with fruit, I had the seasons last few plums, a longing to bake with them. This delicious cake would never have happened if it hadn’t been for my fabulous foodie friends AND the Secret Recipe Club.
The Secret Recipe Club, the brainchild of Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin’.
The idea behind the club – Each month you are “assigned” a participating food blogger to make a recipe from.It’s a secret, so don’t tell them you are making something from their blog! Click on the link if you want to join the fun!!
A visit to my good friend Barbara’s yummy blog Creative Culinary, my SRC assignee for August left me filled with glee! I love the way she goes with the laissez faire policy in food blogging, one that I identify with completely. She’s a GREAT gal!
I hadn’t been on Twitter for ages, just the odd pop in now and again. I really miss it, my foodie friends and the exciting happenings from time to time. Life is annoyingly busy, with Mr PAB traveling throughout August, the teen facing examinations at school … and the little dog {and kids} forever HUNGRY and full of beans!
I visit Creative Culinary often, more often after I was assigned the blog at SRC. Had SO MUCH bookmarked and when I returned to make a certain baked chocolate fudge, I saw this latest post. Dropped all other thoughts. Summer Fruit Cake it was going to be. A quick stop over at the delightful and large hearted Abby Dodges place had me wanting even more to #bake together! Cheers to ‘collaborative effort‘! What a sweet sounding word!
Her idea … Here’s the twist: Instead of everyone making the exact same recipe, I propose we all start with this same basic recipe (delicious as is, I promise) and then everyone can “switch-it up” in anyway they want. You know me.. I’m just crazy about bakers adding their own person tastes and touches to my recipes. I’m a big believer in the collaborative effort – makes everything better, even chocolate.
For this month … Let’s make a single layer cake that highlights summer’s best fruit. This recipe is about as straight-forward as a cake can get – no fancy ingredients (unless YOU want ‘em), a simple preparation and the presentation is as casual or fancy as you want to make it. OK.. so we have a recipe.. now it’s time for everyone to switch it up. Can’t wait to make and taste everyone’s Summer Fruit Cake ~ YOUR WAY!
Abby called for changes … herb, dairy, topping, streusels … bombarded us with ideas, inspiring us to think! Plums were certainly going to be the summer fruit … then I began to think pairings! Since it’s a late summer fruit cake, I introduced ginger into my recipe. As I do often, I ground in some whole almonds and reduced the flour. I love the deep texture almonds offer to the crumb, as also making it healthier.
Since I don’t own an 8″ Springform tin {really strange because I seem to have bought just about everything else, or at least Mr PAB thinks so}, I reached for the loaf tin. But Canelle et Vanilles Plum Tart has remained in my mind for years, so I settled for a square tart pan. I also made a teeny Plum Almond Ginger Summer Fruit Cake in a 3″ Springform with the extra batter, just in case the bigger cake ended in disaster!
I caught the batter almost firm in the tart pan after 15 minutes {was too shallow I think, so it got baked really fast}. The fruit was tart so it got an additional sprinkling of vanilla sugar prior to baking, and once done got showered with pistachio flakes and slivered ginger slices … YUM!
The ginger was subtle in the background, yet lent to the wonderful late summer flavours. Thanks to Abbys ideas, and Barbara’s twist to the cake, the mind got thinking and my freshly drained homemade quark cheese made way to replace sour cream. 
What a wonderful cake this was. It’s a great tea cake, wonderful for a snack box, ideal too for the picnic basket … and would double up as a nice dessert too if served with cream or ice cream.
I have just been ‘requested’ by the kids to make another one tomorrow. I did offer a peach cake as I have a couple of peaches on hand, but the chorus sang plums! I hope I can find some in the bazaar tomorrow … the colours, flavour and texture hitting a high note in our home. Sadly I found this recipe at the end of the stone fruit season…but hey, there’s always next year!
Summary: A summer fruit cake – a great tea cake, wonderful for a snack box, ideal too for the picnic basket … and would double up as a nice dessert too if served with cream or ice cream.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 6 tbsp {100gms} unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup vanilla sugar {or plain sugar}
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup full fat quark {homemade recipe here}
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 tsp fresh ginger juice
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole almonds, ground
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 10-12 firm ripe plums, halved and stoned
Preparation Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C. Butter an 9″ round removable bottom tart pan and line the base with parchment, or a 7″removable bottom square tart pan and a 3″ springform pan. {An 8″ springform tin will work as well}.
- In a bwol, mix together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar on on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, quark, ginger and vanilla powder and extract.
- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl and whisk together.
- Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan.
- Bake cake for 10 minutes.
- Arrange plums on top of batter, cut sides up, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp vanilla sugar.
- Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool.
- Thermomix:
- Whiz the whole almonds, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in TM jar at Speed 10/ 15 seconds, scraping down once half way through. Reserve in a bowl.
- Place the butter and 1 cup sugar in TM bowl and run at Speed 4 for 30 seconds. With the TM running, add the eggs one by one, followed by the vanilla powder, vanilla extract, quark cheese and ginger juice, Speed 4, 1 minute.
- Keep the TM running at Speed 4, and through the top add 1/3 of the dry, followed by 1/3
Don’t miss a post 
Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India
this is a unique combination ! love it
a spoonful of yumm´s last [type] ..Spicy Baby Potatoes
Achallenge well executed.it looks delicious.
Ground almond and plum? Yes please! What a winning combination. I found a recipe in Waitrose magazine recently using similar ingredients but piled onto a puff pastry base and baked as tiny tartlets which was divine, so imagine your’s tastes great. LOVE the dog in the pictures too – so cute!
Oh yum. This looks delicious. And your pictures are always so beautiful.
Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie)´s last [type] ..Spot Prawns, Oysters and Mussels
Hey Deeba, This was first post I opened as I was having coffee this morning and boy how did I want to have a slice, even just a crumb:). Gorgeous job as usual.
foodwanderings´s last [type] ..Purple Pixie Eggplants
Looks absolutely amazing as usual! I don’t see the blog hop, can you add it please Deeba? Thanks!
Amanda´s last [type] ..Scallion Chive Bread with Garlic & Rosemary: The Secret Recipe Club
A scrumptious cake! Plums are fabulous fruits.
Cheers,
Rosa
Lovely! I can see why this was gone far to quick!
I still have this #baketogether on my to do list and with your lovely reccomendation I think I will make this very soon!
xoxo
Astrid´s last [type] ..[The Secret Recipe Club] – Jule’s Pear & Sour Cream Pie
Talk about something almost prophetic…me inviting you to check out the #baketogether challenge, you in SRC and us long time buds on Twitter; it does appear meant to be! Of course you have taken my ‘altitude challenged’ cake and make it something spectacular. In the final twist to this full circle…I just bought plums. You know what that means, right? Beautiful photos but I expect nothing less! XOXO
Barbara | Creative Culinary´s last [type] ..Pasta with Fresh Spinach, Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic
Oh shoot…forgot to add but must…LOVE your dog; so cute Deeba. Almost as cute as the kids!
Barbara | Creative Culinary´s last [type] ..Pasta with Fresh Spinach, Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic
Wow, Deeba. That is so pretty! …And I’m sure delicious as well.
Oh my that looks so good. What a nice summer treat for the family. Your dog is so cute also.
Helene´s last [type] ..Simple Chicken Quinoa Supper
That was a fun post! Of course the cake disappeared..it looks so gorgeous! Loved the stories, recipe and pictures!
Tadka Pasta´s last [type] ..Chakh Le India – Tirangi Kulfi
Gorgeous cake, gorgeous plums and gorgeous photos!
Gorgeous!! That tart looks and sounds wonderful.
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC recipe this month: Cilantro Lime Chicken
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Lisa~~´s last [type] ..Cilantro Lime Chicken
I’ve been wanting to cook more with plums
. Ginger pairs so well with the fruit, I know this cake must be wonderful.
Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets´s last [type] ..Monday Favorites!
Ginger in baking with fruits gives a unique flavor.. love it…
http://krithiskitchen.blogspot.com/
Krithi´s last [type] ..Wheat Halwa / Tirunelveli Halwa for Indian Cooking Challenge (ICC) / Godhuma Halwa step by step
Yum, that cake looks amazing…SO pretty! Love your photos.
sara´s last [type] ..Secret Recipe Club: Flat Iron Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce
wow… njoyed every bit of ur clicks!! u r truly passionate abt baking & clicking.. i mst say
Hasna´s last [type] ..Chocolate Mousse
Stunning! The combination of ginger, almond and plum is fantastic! I must make this one.
Deb @ knitstamatic´s last [type] ..Fig-Honey Summer Fruit Cake
Absolutely lovely. I just can’t stopping thinking about the ginger and sweet combination. Should be so good.
Indu´s last [type] ..Love Marriage Vs. Arranged Marriage over a Plate of Masala Papad
The pic in the recipe box, looks like a colourful stamp. Don’t know if it was an intentional effect, but it is sweet.
Indu´s last [type] ..Love Marriage Vs. Arranged Marriage over a Plate of Masala Papad
Deeba, thats a gorgeous looking cake. I’ll bet it tasted fantastic with all those lovely flavors in there!
Absolutely! Its music to ears when kids want second and third servings and then take some to school ! I really do hope my kids will want to do that when they become teenagers too!
The cake looks real good and delish, pistachios make it look even better!
Suma´s last [type] ..No – Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread – Easy And Quick!
I saw this first thing this morning, but didn’t want to give away that I got your blog!
All I had to do was scroll through the thumbnails and find the prettiest cake there – and there you were! Of course I love this – and all the wonderful summer fruit tarts you came up with this year. I’m so happy I was assigned your blog – I’d always hoped I would be, but afraid I couldn’t do you justice. 
This plum tart, with the ginger and almonds, is quintessentially YOU. xox
Renée J. (RJ Flamingo)´s last [type] ..Mango Pistachio Ricotta Tart
Great recipe! And as always your photos are so inspiring
Sasha @ The Procrastobaker´s last [type] ..Peppermint Crisps
Looks great! I am really tempted to bake this now! I have never really bakes anything with plums!
chinmayie @ love food eat´s last [type] ..Sweet Carrot Bread
looks wonderful…am so gonna make this… and that pooch, lovely girl she is….xx
arundati´s last [type] ..Quick Cooking – Corn Pulao
Before I even clicked on the link to visit you I KNEW that was your photo! Gorgeous!
Shelby´s last [type] ..Fruit Spring Rolls – Secret Recipe Club
very nice blog and informative.
Ah, did you see mine? This was a fabulous cake and I love Abby’s recipes. Always brilliant! We miss you on twitter so you can join in more often! Love the cake, love the pics and yay that tween loved it (the boy I expect nothing less). Miss you!
Jamie´s last [type] ..FABULOUS EASY ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKES
I can’t resist ginger and it sounds like a fantastic partner for the plums and pistachios. Glad the pup made a reappearance – so cute.
Sally Prosser´s last [type] ..In search of the perfect scone
This does sound like a most wonderful cake, and looks amazing! I adore ginger always, but love the thought of the tart plums with a hint of ginger spiciness…just beautiful
Magic of Spice´s last [type] ..The Avila Valley Barn Shopping ~ Part Two and Summer Chillin" Pasta Salad
I saw this truly lovely cake on one of the food porn pages, no surprise that it is yours daaaaahling
. It reminds me of one of the cakes at Ottolenghi.
*kisses* HH
Heavenly Housewife´s last [type] ..Hotel des Saints-Peres, Paris
This is absolutely beautiful! I love baking with stone fruit – it always screams summer, and the result is usually divine.
Taryn´s last [type] ..Stone Fruit Tart
My favorite thing about this post (besides your usual stunning photography) was reading about your childrens’ reactions to this particular cake. Very sweet and funny!
Maia´s last [type] ..Salted Pistachio Dark Chocolate Macarons
These photos are just perfect. And I am super impressed that your teens loved this dish. Kids are the toughest customers!
Rivki Locker´s last [type] ..Garbanzos with Polenta Cakes
Beautiful as always Deeba! Plums and ginger sound great together!
Shumaila´s last [type] ..Garam Masala Tuesdays: Kakori Kebab and Lehsooni Naan plus Giveaway Winner Announced
I love this twist and your photos are gorgeous! Wonderful SRC post!
You made me wanna make this cake! I love the way they’re placed on the cake, and your pics are soo tempting! And your doggy, he’s bigger now!! He’s sooo sweet…
Valerie´s last [type] ..Cake bloghop: Summer berry cake
Thanks for this recipe for plum almond ginger summer fruit cake. It sounds like a wonderful treat. Thanks for the all of the great pictures.
Wow, Deeba, you never cease to amaze me with your baking, photography, food-styling skills. What an absolutely gorgeous cake. I need to bake with plums more, I just eat them too fast and never have enough to bake with lol
Lisa´s last [type] ..A Secret plus the Daring Cooks, leads to Chicken Curry Blintzes
Your cake looks superb, as usual, how I wish to join the SRC! But I don’t think I can’t keep up with the delicious looking photographs:-)
jehanne@thecookingdoctor.co.uk´s last [type] ..Book review: The Perfect Scoop & Another Giveaway!
hi junia, i will try this cake very soon, it looks so delicious and pretty… anyone will surely get attracted to it without even knowing what the ingredients are
cooking varieties-wan maznah´s last [type] ..FOOD AND FIESTING IN ANCIENT ROME. ANCIENT ROMAN COOKING.
what a beautiful summer cake!!! i love the ideas of almonds and plum together! that second picture of the cut summer cake is just picturesque – love how the hues are tinted purple and green within. thanks for joining out #cakelove party!
btw, i have the same american cocker spaniel too!
Junia @ Mis Pensamientos´s last [type] ..Cake Bloghop: Green Tea Cake with Coconut Icing
Beautiful Deeba, I love this combination of fruit and almond base, I understand how more than one slice can be consumed
Alli´s last [type] ..Breakfast at Queenies & Crumpets with Lemon Curd & Mascapone
Wow! Deeba, everything you make looks so perfect and delicious! I am always in awe of what you are able to do with ordinary fruit. Thanks for sharing!!
I’ve just been thinking about plums and how I need to hurry up and bake with some before the season is gone! I can see why this cake was so well-received. Love the pistachios and ginger on top. And, your puppy with the plum is the cutest.
lisaiscooking´s last [type] ..Bulgur Salad with Arugula, Zucchini, and Pine Nuts
Hi!!! I’ve just discovered your blog, and I must say, it’s wonderful, I love it!
This cake looks really yummy, great pics!!!
Congrats on such a nice blog!
Big hug from Stockholm
Elena´s last [type] ..Tarta de nectarinas y frambuesas
Your photos are amazing! Delicious looking
Thanks for sharing
Jennifer
http://www.jennifersikora.com
Pflaumenkuchen! I once had an entire trip across Germany in which I was obsessed with finding the perfect one. I found one, in a kitchen garden, at a semi-trnedy little brunch place off the edge of the student section of a city where I got a great haircut from a flamboyant Turkish man. I haven’t dared replicate it, but this, on the other hand, might be within reach.
Stephanie´s last [type] ..One Bowl Serves Solo Cooks Appealing Healthy Recipes
I love plums… what a fun recipe! I can’t wait to try it!