Plum Kuchen

Every Eastern European grandmother has a recipe for a kuchen....a simple homey cake, usually made with apples or plums, eaten with a cup of coffee.

My grandmother was born here in NY, but her mother was from Russia/Poland (when the countries shared territories), and this was her recipe, though she used margerine (everyone did back then, they thought it was healthy).

She always had cake and coffee, and I think I have become a modern day version of her.
There is always a cake on my counter, and I always have a piece with coffee.

This is a great way to use the season's beautiful plums, and I will definitely be making this with apples in a few weeks.

You can use a 9 x 13 baking dish, but if you have an 8 x 10, that's better, the cake will be fluffier.

Helpful Hint: The best way to pit plums is use an apple corer, trust me, it works!

This cake is so simple, you won't believe how good it is.

Plum Kuchen:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup almond flour or almond meal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 ounces butter (one stick), melted
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs (at room temperature)
about 8 or 9 plums, pitted and halved
raw sugar for sprinkling

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, then add in the butter, milk and eggs. Beat by hand about 4 minutes, you want a nice fluffy batter (I rarely use my hand mixer, but feel free to take it out).

Pour batter into a well greased 8 x 10 pan.

Lay the plum halves on top, without pressing down, the fruit will sink anyway.

Sprinkle the top with raw sugar and bake in a 350F oven for 35-40 minutes.

Let cake completely cool before cutting into squares. I like to sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

This cake is even better the next day.