Eat Well, Be Well, Live Well

Also known as “kuchen,” this simple German-inspired cake is good for picnics and dinner parties because it’s designed to be served at room temperature, so you can make it in advance. Almost any plum will work, but I found it’s best to use slightly firm plums with contrasting colors, such as black and yellow). Serve slices alone or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

And no, I wouldn’t categorize this dessert as particularly healthy. It probably falls in the same category as my strawberry tart, only with a little more sugar and a lot less dairy. But life would get too boring if we ate healthy all the time, and besides, what were you planning to do with all those plums your neighbor just gave you?

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour*

1/2 cup whole-grain barley flour

1/2 cup cane sugar plus 2 tbsp, divided (or use coconut sugar crystals)

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

sea salt

1/4 tsp ground cardamon

7 tbsp butter, divided

1/2 cup fat-free milk (or milk substitute, such as almond or soy)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

cooking spray

1 1/2 lbs plums, pitted and sliced into eighths

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

*You can easily make this cake gluten-free by substituting 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour for the regular all-purpose, and 1/2 cup almond flour for the barley flour. I’ve also used a combination of gluten-free AP, almond and sorghum flours. It’s such a simple cake that the recipe is very forgiving.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine flours, 2 tablespoons cane sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cardamon in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Whisk eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk and vanilla extract. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into a 9-inch round metal cake pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange plum slices in a circular patter over the batter.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, lemon rind, cinnamon and allspice in a small bowl, stirring well. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter (in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave). Stir into the sugar mixture. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the plums (or as evenly you as you can since the mixture isn’t liquid and it’s not dry enough to really “sprinkle”).

Place in the oven for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbling. Cool in the pan for at least 1 hour.

Enjoy!