This vegan Plum Cake recipe is based on a traditional pflaumenkuchen, or German plum cake. I broke with tradition a little and enhanced the plums with a spash of rum and a dusting of sugar and cinnamon. I wanted the intense fruit flavors to be well balanced by a flavorful cake so I used the power of yeasted cake to add flavor depth in the cake department. Yeasted cake also has the benefit of utilizing gluten bonds for binding which frees us from needing to use any fancy egg replacers. I purposely designed this cake to be on the dense side because I felt that it helped to showcase the plums. The result is a fruit forward plum topping baked into a cake that can hold it's own. Black plums are preferred due to their high level of sweetness. Feel free to make this cake using any combination of other stone fruits you may have on hand.

1 ¾ cups + 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast

½ cup + 1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk
½ cup sugar
¼ cup (54 grams) Regular Vegan Butter or non-hydrogenated stick margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ pound plums (about 5 medium size plums)
2 Tablespoons spiced rum
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon lemon zest

1)
Lightly grease the inside of a 10 inch spring form pan. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, yeast and set aside.

2)
In another medium mixing bowl whisk together the non-dairy milk, sugar, Vegan Butter, vanilla extract and salt. Add this mixture to the flour and yeast mixture and mix with a spoon. Knead the mixture on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, lightly coat it with oil, place a plastic bag or a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl and allow the dough to rise for about 2 hours.

3)
Preheat your oven to 400F (204C). Wash the plums, remove the pits and cut them into ¼ inch slices. To separate the plum from the pit, cut around the perimeter of the plum and then twist both halves in different directions. Place the plum slices in a bowl and toss with the spiced rum, sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest.

4)
Roll out the dough to the inside diameter of the spring form pan on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it into the spring form pan and using your fingers, push it snug against inside of the pan. Cover the pan with a plastic bag or a sheet of plastic wrap and let it rise for about 1 hour.

5)
Arrange the plum slices on top concentrically outward so that they're overlapping slightly like fallen dominoes. This will allow you to get maximum plum in the smallest amount of space. Lightly press the plums into the cake with your fingers. If there is any liquid left over in the bowl, drizzle it over the plums. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve warm with a dollop of non-dairy yogurt on top and accompanied by coffee or tea. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.