Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze

I'm having a houseful of family Labor Day weekend.  They're all arriving on Thursday evening and staying until  Monday and they all like to drink eat so I've been trying out several different recipes before they get here.  There have been a few flops.....like the Butterscotch Pie that was actually butterscotch soup.  Don't know what happened with that one.  

This cake, however, was not a flop.  It actually got the most glowing reviews from my taste testers.   And they were skeptical from the get-go.  I loved this one, as well.  The plums are just the right combination of sweet and tart, and the cake is moist with that wonderful warm spice from the cardamom.  And then there's the topping......crunchy almonds with cinnamon and a little more cardamom are sent over the top when you pour on that toffee glaze.  Heavenly.

A slice of this would be equally as good with either your morning cuppa joe or as an afternoon pick-me-up.  I'm sure my dad will have both!

Here's the recipe:

Spiced Plum Streusel Cake with Toffee Glaze

Ready for Dessert by David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

Streusel:

1 cup sliced unblanched or blanched almonds

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, melted

Cake:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

5 medium plums, halved, pitted and cut into eighths

Glaze:

2 tablespoons unsalted or salted butter, cut into pieces

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Big pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

To make the streusel, in a medium bowl, combine all of the streusel ingredients.  Toss with a fork or your fingers until evenly moistened, making sure the almonds are well dispersed.  Set aside.

To make the cake, in a small whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating until completely incorporated.  Stir in half of the flour mixture, followed by the 1 teaspoon vanilla and the buttermilk and finally the remaining flour mixture.  Mix until just combined.

Scrape the butter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Arrange the plum slices in an even layer on top of the batter and gently press them in.  Sprinkle the streusel over the plums.

Bake until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick comes out clean, about 55 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan.  Release the sides of the springform pan.

To make the glaze, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the 2 tablespoons butter with the dark brown sugar, cream and salt.  Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and simmer gently for 1 minute.  Remove from the heat and let cool completely.  Once cool, stir in the vanilla.  Spoon the glaze over the cake, encouraging some to drip down the sides.

Serve slices of the cake warm or at room temperature.

The cake is best the same day but can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days well wrapped.

You can also substitute fresh apricots for the plums.  A handful of fresh raspberries can be added to the fruit as well.