Britain |alt=A traditional type of fruitcake Plum cake has historically referred to an early type and style of
fruitcake in England since around 1700. In 1881 Colonel Henry-Herbert said that "a good English plum cake...is a national institution". Plum cakes were raised by whipping air into the cake
batter, rather than by the use of yeast. The comment in an Indian Household Management book is indicative both of the reach of Mrs Beeton's book as well as the range of interpretations of plum cake and plum pudding. The author says, "Mrs Beeton’s recipe is by far the best if modified a little: 12 units of manukka raisins ..." Up to
World War I, cakes, including plum cakes, were baked along with loaves of bread. "A smaller cake or pasty might be slipped in or pulled out after the baking had begun, but a
raised pie with well-protected sides, or a large plum cake, would take at least the same time as the loaves, and experienced housewives made them in sizes to do so."
Europe The English variety of plum cake also exists on the European mainland, although "plum cake" there more usually refers to baked cakes made with fresh fruit rather than dried. The
Mirabelle plum is a specific cultivar used to make
Tarte aux mirabelles (plum tart). A
Galette aux fruits is a type of
galette made with yeast dough and covered with cooked fruit in season, such as plums (or quinces, apples, apricots). The fruit in these open tarts or flans is cut into suitably sized pieces and the cake is glazed: red glaze is recommended for red plum and rhubarb flans, whereas apricot glaze is recommended for yellow plum and apricot flans. The German plum cake, known as '''', can be found all over the country, although its home is
Bavaria. In chef
Robert Carrier's recipe the base is made from yeast pastry rather than often-used shortcrust pastry, because the yeast pastry "soaks up the juice from the plums without becoming soggy". In Italy, plum cake is known by the English name, baked in an oven using dried fruit and often yoghurt. The Polish version of plum cake, which also uses fresh fruit, is known as
. File:Pâté aux prunes.jpg| (Plum
tart),
France File:00349 Pflaumenkuchen, Sanok 2011.jpg|alt=Sanok-style plum cake Poland|
Sanok-style plum cake,
Poland File:2015 0804 Zwetschkenkuchen Gaislachalm Sölden.jpg|alt=Zwetschkenkuchen Tirol, Austria|
Zwetschkenkuchen,
Tirol, Austria File:Plun pie - Luumupiirakka IMG 3757 C.JPG|alt=Sheet pan with sliced plums laid across the cake batter|Plum cake just before it is baked File:Plum cake 04 ies.jpg|Cake topped with whole plums
India In India, especially
Kerala, plum cakes are eaten and gifted as a Christmas delicacy. Indian plum cakes often contain additional ingredients such as
rum or other liquors, which are both mixed into the batter and used to soak the fruit. Records of Christmas plum cakes in Kerala exist as far back as the 17th century, when the plum cakes celebrated fruit and nut harvests in the winter season, but popularization of the cake is generally credited to the Royal Biscuit Factory of
Thalassery, which was tasked with baking a Christmas cake for Scottish plantation owner Murdock Brown in 1883, who was so impressed by the final product he ordered several more.
United States Plum
cake in the United States originated with the English settlers and was prepared in the English style It was prepared with currants, raisins,
molasses, and spices, with the addition of brandy in the recipe occurring later. Election cakes were typically leavened with yeast. In
New England, large election cakes weighing around would traditionally be served while people waited for election results. It has been stated that the first published election cake recipe appeared in 1796 in
American Cookery. Plum cake recipes in the fruitcake style appeared in early cookbooks in the
Southern United States, and did not actually call for plums. After 1830 plum cake was often referred to as fruit cake or black cake. In 1885, in a description of plum cake that sounds like plum pudding, it was described as "
mucilaginous" (gluey) – a solid, dark-colored, thick cake with copious amounts of plums, gritty notes from raisins. ==See also==