Streusel Plum Cake

A light, single-egg cake batter topped with fresh halved plums and a cinnamon-brown sugar streusel, finished with a simple vanilla glaze. This is old-school European-style fruit cake baking at its best: not too sweet, fruit-forward, and perfect with afternoon coffee.

The batter gets its lift from a beaten egg white folded in at the end, giving it an airy, almost sponge-like texture that supports the fruit without getting dense. The plums sink slightly as they bake, releasing their juices into the cake and turning jammy and soft.

That streusel on top is dead simple: brown sugar, margarine, and cinnamon rubbed together and scattered over the fruit. It bakes into a crumbly, golden crust that shatters when you press your fork through it.

Pro Tips

• Beat the egg white to soft peaks before folding in. This is where the cake gets its lightness, so don’t skip it or just stir it in.
• Arrange plum halves cut-side down so they release juice evenly into the batter as they bake.
• Check with a toothpick at 30 minutes. Thinner batter in a wider pan bakes faster than in a deep square pan.
• Let the cake cool at least 15 minutes before glazing so the drizzle sets instead of melting into the surface.

Variations

• Use sliced peaches, apples, pears, or nectarines instead of plums. The recipe is designed for swapping.
• Add a handful of sliced almonds to the streusel for extra crunch.
• Replace vanilla glaze with a lemon glaze (powdered sugar plus lemon juice) for a tart contrast.