Plum Breakfast Cake with Plum Caramel Sauce - Paleo

Published: Aug 30, 2020 · Modified: Dec 28, 2021 by Beth · This post may contain affiliate links · 47 Comments

Try this delicious Paleo Plum breakfast cake with a dense, rich crumb and a tangy caramelized plum sauce. Easy, gluten and dairy free.

This recipe has been a delightful surprise that I found on Pies and Plots in searching for gluten-free recipes using plums. It’s got that wonderful sweet-tart flavor from the plums, and a little more sweetness from the coconut sugar.

The cake is filling without being too sweet for those times when you want something a little fun for breakfast. The plum sauce added to the middle of the cake before baking makes it moist and keeps you from wishing for frosting. We like it with plain yogurt dolloped on after serving, too.

Over the several times we baked this cake, we gradually and purposely reduced the amount of sugar. Making the cake less sweet was my son's preference - he enjoys desserts that are very low-sugar. So, it's not about using an artificial sweetener to still keep a cake sweet.

The low sweetness of this cake allows us to enjoy the flavors of the fruit rather than the sugar. It's not like it doesn't contain any sugar - an analysis of the nutrition from Very Well Fit says that there are 20 grams of sugar per slice - that's mostly from the plums, assuming a tablespoonful of plum sauce.

The low sweetness is why I'm calling this a breakfast cake. We often expect a breakfast cake or bread to be less sweet than one we make for a dessert. So if you like a sugary, sweet cake, this recipe as written may not be sweet enough for you without adding more coconut sugar - see suggestions in the notes. I won't judge!

My son liked the plum cake so much he asked for it as his birthday cake (yesterday!). I made extra plum caramel sauce so he could dribble on as much as he wanted.

What are ways to use less total sugar?

We've cut down on our sugar intake over time, believing that it's one of the best actions you can take for health. Trust me, it's worth it - just take your time (like weeks) so your taste buds have a chance to adjust. Unfortunately, as you make progress, you've find conventionally-sweet baked goods will taste sweeter and sweeter to you.

Now, I realize that if you haven't done this process (yet), this recipe will taste like a fruit bread. Plums are so variable in their sweetness that with less-flavorful ones the bread could be very bland and floury. So I do recommend some coconut sugar.

However, the tablespoonful of coconut sugar sprinkled on just before baking is important. When there is a little sugar that reaches your tongue just as you are taking a bite, it makes your sweet tooth happy so that it doesn’t notice that there isn’t that much sugar in the cake itself.

And don’t we want our sweet teeth to be happy?

Tips and tools for making this cake.

Since the sugars in this recipe caramelize during baking, a non-stick springform pan makes this cake easy to remove from the pan for serving. To ensure non-stickiness and to keep the food off the nonstick coating, I also line the pan with parchment paper.

A thin silicone spatula is useful to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan.

Is this like the plum cake you buy for the holidays?

There is a plum cake that is actually based on prunes which is typically served around the winter holidays. That’s NOT this cake - you need fresh plums.

I realize it’s the end of plum season and hope you can still find enough!

Is plum cake healthy?

This cake is paleo, which makes it relatively low carbohydrate. The paleo batter is based on a mixture of almond, tapioca and coconut flours. Coconut sugar has a relatively lower glycemic index than refined sugars.

And there are lots of antioxidants from the plums and the lemon juice.

What should I do with the leftover egg whites?

Six egg whites is a lot, I agree! Meringues are a great use for egg whites - I wish I had a recipe to share with you. Some enjoy egg white omelets, though I find they lack the rich flavor of the whole egg and can't make myself eat them any more.

Or, consider macaroons - recipe on the blog soon!

Please pin for later!

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #amealinmind on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thank you so much!!

Thank you to Fiesta Friday cohosts Angie @FiestaFriday and Laurena @ Life Diet Health for featuring this recipe on Fiesta Friday #345.

Beth

Other fruit recipes you may enjoy

Strawberry-Almond Heart Cakes

Peach Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis

Plum-Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Mouthwatering Peach-Plum Cobbler with Almond-Oat Crust, GF, V

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