These moist little cakes are so delicious, and the essence of summer. Just add a shady back porch and a cold ice tea.
12 cakes
½ cup granulated sugar
Zest of one orange
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar, divided
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup buttermilk (if you do not have buttermilk, use 1 tablespoon plain yogurt and the remainder in regular milk)
6 plums, cut in half
(Powdered sugar for serving)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a non-stick muffin pan with butter.
- In a bowl add 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, granulated sugar, orange zest and butter.
- Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between.
- Add the flour and incorporate, then the buttermilk and beat until smooth.
- Divide the batter among 12 muffin cups.
- With the cut side up, push a plum half gently into the batter just until the batter comes up the sides of the plum.
- Sprinkle the remaining brown sugar on top of the plums.
- Place the muffin pan on a foil lined baking sheet. This will catch any overflow juices.
- Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and the plums are soft.
- Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
- When they are cool, dust with powdered sugar for serving.
