Red-Plum Spice Cake Ii

Plum baby food in a cake? It sounds strange, but it’s one of those vintage baking shortcuts that actually works. The pureed plums add moisture, natural sweetness, and a fruity depth that keeps this spice cake tender for days after baking. Combined with cinnamon and cloves, the plum flavor blends seamlessly into a warm, fragrant Bundt cake.

This is an oil-based cake, not a butter cake, which means no creaming step and no worrying about ingredient temperatures. Sugar and oil get mixed together, eggs go in, then the sifted dry ingredients and plum baby food fold in. Simple.

The oil keeps the crumb moist and soft in a way butter can’t, especially over multiple days. A slice on day three is just as good as day one.

Kitchen Tips

• Sift the flour, soda, salt, and spices together before adding to the wet ingredients. This distributes the leavening and spices evenly.
• Grease and flour the Bundt pan thoroughly. Oil cakes stick more than butter cakes because the batter is thinner.
• Cool 10 minutes in the pan before turning out. Too soon and the cake tears; too long and it sticks.
• Red food coloring deepens the color but is optional. The cake is naturally golden-brown without it.

Variations

• Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar for a simple finish.
• Drizzle with a cream cheese glaze for a tangy contrast to the spiced crumb.
• Swap plum baby food for prune or apricot baby food for a different fruit note.