Recipe courtesy of the Nosher, serves 10.
1/2 cup vegan butter or unsalted butter (1 stick) at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour or gluten free all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (or pie spice for peaches)
1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter, pinch of salt if using vegan butter
4 plums or peaches, halved, pitted and sliced 1/4″ thick (4 to 5)
Turbinado/raw sugar, for sprinkling on top
1/4 cup honey for the glaze (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease and line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper, or you can also make this in a buttered 9″ x 9″ ceramic or stoneware baking dish.
Cream together vegan butter/butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes, using either a handheld mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Add the honey to the sugar mixture and mix until well incorporated.
Add the eggs, vanilla, and freshly grated ginger and mix until they are also well incorporated.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix.
Pour the batter into the lined and greased cake pan. Add the sliced plums on top of the cake, they will sink as they bake. Top the cake with a generous sprinkling of Turbinado/raw sugar, or regular sugar if you don’t have raw sugar.
Bake 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean when tested in the center of the cake.
If desired, you can brush honey on top of the cake once it has cooled: heat 1/4 cup of honey until just warm, and then brush it over the cake.
Serve topped with whipped cream or ice cream. Can be made a day in advance.