Plum season always ends the same way for me: I buy more plums than I originally planned. Some disappear straight away, some go into preserves, and sooner or later the rest become a cake. This time, instead of a classic plum sponge, I made something decidedly more dessert-like: a plum and mascarpone shortcrust cake with sweetened condensed milk and flaked almonds.
This bake has a lot going on. At the bottom is a buttery, crumbly crust. I arrange cinnamon-dusted plums on top, then pour over a creamy filling made from mascarpone, sweetened condensed milk and eggs. Finally, a generous layer of flaked almonds finishes it off.
The result is part tart, part cheesecake, and above all a very good plum cake.
Plums, Mascarpone and Almonds: Why They Work Together
Balance is the key here. Mascarpone is mild and creamy, while condensed milk brings plenty of sweetness. On their own, they could make the filling feel a little too rich.
That is where the plums come in.
Ripe fruit with a hint of tartness works best for me. The plums soften and release their juice as they bake, mingling with the creamy filling. Their acidity also cuts through the sweetness of the condensed milk.
That is why the shortcrust base needs only a little sugar, and I do not sweeten the plums either.
I use cinnamon to highlight the fruit rather than make it the dominant flavour. The almonds are the final touch: the flakes toast lightly as the cake bakes, adding aroma and another texture. Each forkful brings together crisp pastry, soft plums, creamy filling and crunchy almonds. That variety is what I like most about this bake.
A Shortcrust Base with Coarse Flour
The base is a little different from the simplest shortcrust pastry.
Alongside regular wheat flour, I add a small amount of krupczatka, a coarse Polish wheat flour. It gives the baked crust a more crumbly, delicately sandy texture.
There is plenty of butter too, along with egg yolks, a little vanilla sugar and a pinch of salt.
I do not knead the dough for long. I bring the ingredients together just until combined, then refrigerate the pastry for half an hour.
That step really matters. The butter chills again, the dough rests, and it holds up much better during baking.
Why I Blind Bake the Crust First
For this recipe, I do not put the plums and cream onto raw pastry.
I bake the crust on its own first.
The reason is simple: the filling is moist. The plums release juice, while the mascarpone, condensed milk and egg mixture adds more moisture.
If I added everything to an unbaked crust, the middle could soak up the liquid instead of baking properly.
So I give the shortcrust a head start in the oven before adding the remaining ingredients.
You will find the exact quantities, temperatures and baking times in the recipe card below.
🍰 Using a different tin? This recipe is made for a 24 cm (9½ in) round springform tin. Scale the ingredients to your tin’s area and check the cake towards the end of the suggested baking time.
Plum and Mascarpone Shortcrust Cake with Almonds: The Recipe
Plum and Mascarpone Shortcrust Cake
24
cm round30
minutes75
minutesabout 2 hr 15 min
plus coolingA buttery shortcrust cake with juicy plums, a creamy mascarpone and sweetened condensed milk filling, and toasted almond flakes.
Ingredients
250 g all-purpose flour
50 g coarse wheat flour (krupczatka)
200 g butter
3 egg yolks
1 heaped tablespoon vanilla sugar
a pinch of salt
plums, enough to cover the pastry base
cinnamon
250 g mascarpone
280 g sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
flaked almonds
Method
Combine the all-purpose and coarse wheat flours with the vanilla sugar and salt. Add the cold butter and egg yolks, then quickly bring the dough together. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Roll out the pastry and line a 24 cm (9½ in) round tin. Prebake the crust for about 25 minutes.
Wash and halve the plums, remove the stones and arrange the fruit on the prebaked, cooled crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Mix the mascarpone with the sweetened condensed milk. Add the two beaten eggs and stir just until combined.
Pour the filling over the plums. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for about 30 minutes.
After those 30 minutes, scatter flaked almonds over the cake and bake for about 20 minutes more at 180°C (350°F).
Leave the baked cake in its tin to cool. Once the filling has set, remove the cake from the tin and slice it.
How I Arrange the Plums
I wash the plums, cut them in half and remove the stones. If I have some especially large fruit, I cut it into quarters.
I arrange the plums on the prebaked shortcrust base, then dust them with cinnamon.
There is no need to line them up with a ruler. Once the mascarpone filling goes in, some fruit will be covered and some will still show on the surface.
After baking, that irregular pattern makes the cake look appetising and homemade.
How I Make the Mascarpone Filling
This is probably the easiest part of the whole cake.
I take the mascarpone out of the fridge ahead of time so it can come to room temperature. I mix it with the sweetened condensed milk, then add the beaten eggs.
I do not whisk this mixture for ages or try to beat air into it. Thoroughly combining the ingredients is enough.
As the cake bakes, the eggs gradually set the initially quite runny mixture into a soft, creamy filling around the plums.
One important point: I add no extra sugar. The sweetened condensed milk provides more than enough.
I Add the Almonds Near the End of Baking
This is a small detail worth getting right.
I do not scatter the flaked almonds over the cake as soon as I add the filling. First I bake the cake with its plums and mascarpone mixture. Only later do I open the oven, pull out the tin and generously sprinkle the almonds on top.
Then the cake goes back into the oven.
That gives the almonds enough time to toast without exposing them to the full baking time. They finish golden and crisp rather than dark brown and bitter.
In the photo of my finished cake, you can see that some flakes are still pale while others have browned more deeply. That is exactly the effect I want.
Can I Use Other Plum Varieties?
Of course.
European prune plums are an excellent choice because they have a strong flavour and bake well, but they are not the only option.
The main thing is that the fruit should retain some tartness. Very sweet plums paired with condensed milk could make the cake overly sweet.
If your plums are particularly juicy, dry them thoroughly after washing.
Can I Replace Mascarpone with Curd Cheese?
For this particular recipe, I would stick with mascarpone.
Polish curd cheese has a different texture, water content and acidity. Combined with condensed milk and eggs, it would make something closer to a cheesecake filling than the cream I want here.
Mascarpone gives the cake a delicate, velvety texture without competing with the plums.
I Let the Cake Cool Before Slicing
This is probably the hardest part of the whole recipe. 😉
Once the cake comes out of the oven, the kitchen smells of butter, cinnamon, baked plums and almonds. It is tempting to reach for a knife immediately.
It is worth waiting, though.
The mascarpone filling is still soft when hot. As it cools, it gradually firms up, making it much easier to cut a neat slice.
I leave the cake in its tin until it has cooled somewhat, then remove and slice it.
A Plum Cake with a Difference
If you are looking for the simplest plum cake, mixed in one bowl and out of the oven an hour later, this is not that recipe.
There are several stages here: making the pastry, chilling it, prebaking the crust, adding plums and mascarpone cream, and finally topping it with almonds.
But each stage has a purpose.
Prebaking keeps the crust crisp. Plums add juiciness and tartness. Mascarpone and sweetened condensed milk form a creamy filling, and the almond flakes finish everything with a crunchy, lightly toasted layer.
That is why this plum and mascarpone shortcrust cake is more to me than simply another way to use up plums.
What Else Can You Make with Plums?
If, like me, you buy plums faster than you can eat them during the season, there are plenty of options beyond another cake. I make homemade oven-baked plum butter from ripe fruit, letting it cook slowly without constantly watching a saucepan. Another way to use plums is a homemade plum liqueur: sweet, richly fruity and mostly a test of patience. And if you have a few plums left, try them dipped in chocolate. One seasonal fruit can become a dessert, a preserve for winter and something with a little more kick.