Butter Cake With Plums
Adapted from the NY Times recipe by Samantha Seneviratne
1 ¼ cups butter at room temperature, cut into pieces
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons to coat plums folded into cake
1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling (I used King Arthur Sparkling Sugar to top the cake)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole-milk yogurt (not Greek), at room temperature
8 medium-ripe plums (I used Kingsburg Orchards Strawberry Plums and Tiger's Blood Plums)
Before beginning recipe, prepare plums - slice fattest slices of plums closest to pits and punch out bats, then slice remainder into ¼ inch slices
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9x13” pan with parchment paper to allow easy release once cake is baked
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add butter and beat in a standing mixer until all the dry ingredients are coated in butter and mixture looks like coarse sand, about 1 minute
Add eggs and beat until well-combined, about 30 seconds. Add yogurt and beat on high until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Toss non-bat sliced plum pieces in 2 tablespoons. of flour, then shake off excess in sieve before gently folding into batter with a spatula
Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with plum bats and sprinkle the top evenly with sparkling sugar
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, approximately 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days
