Plum Coffee Cake

I am my mother's daughter. There can be no doubt. As such, I have an intense phobia of buying anything at full price. I will go to the ends of the Earth to save even the smallest fraction off full price. When I saw that plums were on major sale at my local Safeway, I sprung into action. I googled "Plum Cake" and the first thing I got was an entry from my favorite food blog, smitten kitchen. She makes a Plum Dimple Cake that looked so pretty. I knew I had to make it for dessert when my grandparents and aunt and uncle visited last Friday for lunch. I changed the base of the cake a little (I can't bear the thought of a sour cream-less coffee cake) and was able to use my birthday gift from Lauren to bake it up. It was such a great idea to half the plums and stick them in coffee cake because the result was a burst of fruity freshness and an absolutely beautiful presentation. Perfection in my new cake tin!

Plum Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 teaspoons almond extract
6 red plums
1. Make the batter by creaming together the butter and sugar until light and airy. Then slowly add both eggs and continue to beat until smooth.
2. Add oil, extract, ginger, salt and baking powder.
3. Add flour and sour cream by alternating between them until both are incorporated.
4. Half and pit your plums. You do not need to peel them.
4. Pour the batter into a waiting, well greased (I spray it with PAM that already has flour in it. I bought that by mistake one time and it is actually great...for baking) 9-inch square baking tin. Place plums in the dish in rows and press down into the batter so that just the fleshy halves are showing.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until am inserted skewer comes out clean.
7. Allow to cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes, but this can be served warm or at room temperature.
It would be a mistake to serve it without ice cream!

Enjoy!