Plum Sheet Cake (AIP, paleo, vegan)

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This delightful Plum Sheet Cake is a nod to German Plum Cake or Pflaumenkuchen! This version is AIP, paleo and vegan, soft, not too sweet, delicious and oh so pretty!

My German mother-in-law introduced me to Zwetschgenkuchen or Pflaumenkuchen, a treat that she has made for my hubs for many years and which they refer to as “plum pizza”. This is because one of the popular versions of this plum cake is made with a yeast-based dough reminiscent of pizza. This rustic sheet cake typically uses Italian plums also known as blue plums or European plums that are only in season for a short period of time in North America each year. And that season is now (from September through October)!

This AIP Plum Sheet Cake has not much in common with “plum pizza” besides these amazing plums and the fact that it’s delicious :). This version isn’t yeast-based, it’s grain-free, gluten free, refined-sugar free and egg-free and still super yummy. I will note that this is not a very sweet cake. It only has 2 TBSP of added sugar and that’s the coconut sugar that is sprinkled on top the plums for them to caramelize while baking. If you’d like it a bit sweeter, feel free to add a TBSP of coconut sugar to the cake batter.

Here’s you’ll need for this Plum Sheet Cake:

• Italian/blue plums. Let’s talk about these plums! Italian plums have a deep purple/blue skin and their flesh has a yellow-green hue. And they are even more beautiful when cooked. When cooked, the flesh transforms into a deep orange/reddish colour, and the skins and juices turn a deep red which is absolutely stunning!
• Coconut butter
• Palm shortening
• Vanilla extract
• Coconut milk – full fat and additive free
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Cassava flour and coconut flour – I don’t recommend any substitutions for this combination of flour.
• Cinnamon, Salt and Baking soda
• Apple cider vinegar
• Coconut sugar

Plum Sheet Cake FAQs

Can I use a different type of plum or fruit?

As I note above, Italian plums are characteristic for many reasons and their taste quite distinct when cooked. That said, if you can’t find Italian blue plums, you can sub for another variety of plums. Note that these are generally a lot juicier and so might spring more liquid when baking. You can also try this with apples and/or pears with the addition of some lemon juice or another form of moisture as they aren’t as juicy and some cinnamon.

Can I use a different size/shaped pan?

This plum sheet cake recipe uses a 9×13 baking sheet. If only have larger baking sheets, that’s fine. The cake won’t spread out too much while baking so you can use a larger baking sheet, but spread the batter out to a similar dimension (9×13) so the cooking time won’t vary. If you want to try this cake in a round cake pan, you’d have to play around with the baking time a bit.

Can I make this recipe coconut free?

Unfortunately, this recipe relies on coconut butter, coconut flour and coconut milk to create the texture in the cake. I’m working on some coconut-free Fall desserts so stay tuned!

Can I substitute the palm shortening?

Coconut oil won’t work the same in this recipe as palm shortening is what creates this “cakey” texture. So I highly suggest purchasing palm shortening.

How should I store this cake?

I recommend storing in a sealed container in the fridge for no longer than 3-4 days. Reheat before serving as the cake is best slightly warm.

If you like the sound of this recipe you might also enjoy these other fruity AIP/paleo treats:

Banana Spice Muffins

AIP Lemon Blueberry Banana Bread

AIP Peach and Thyme Galette

Easy Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

If you try this AIP Plum Sheet Cake, I would love it if you would give it a star rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious. 

Plum Sheet Cake (AIP, paleo, vegan)

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 1 sheet cake 1x

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Description

This delightful Plum Sheet Cake is a nod to German Plum Cake or Pflaumenkuchen! This version is AIP, paleo and vegan, soft, not too sweet, delicious and pretty!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1.5–2 lbs Italian plums – the amount will vary by size of plums (I used 20 small plums)
• 1/2 cup coconut butter
• 1/2 cup palm shortening
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup full fat additive free coconut milk
• 1.5 cups cassava flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2–3 TBSP coconut sugar (depending on your preference)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a 9 x 13 baking sheet* with parchment paper.
2. Slice the plums along their natural seam and pull them open just enough to remove the pit, but ensuring you keep both sides of the plums in tact. This is really only for visual purposes so if you don’t care about it, then don’t worry about it!
3. In a food processor or large mixing bowl, whisk together coconut butter, palm shortening, unsweetened applesauce,  vanilla extract and coconut milk.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cassava and coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5. Add the coconut butter mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine. Finally, fold in the apple cider vinegar. Batter will be quite thick.
6. Spread the batter out onto your baking sheet with a spatula to fill the entire baking sheet.
7. Spread the plums out, face side up onto the cake batter in whatever pattern you’d like
8. Finally, sprinkle with coconut sugar and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.**
9. Allow the cake to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Notes

* As noted in the blog post, if you only have larger baking sheets, no problem. The cake won’t spread out while baking so you can use a larger baking sheet, but keep your cake to similar dimensions so the cooking time won’t vary. ** 2 TBSP of coconut sugar is good for my taste, but you might prefer more, especially since the cake itself has no added sugar.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Breads + Cakes