>This week Michelle of Bake-en chose the Dimply Plum Cake for our TWD challenge. Since I’m not a huge fan of plums or peaches I hesitated about participating. In the end I decided I would actually make this cake and I’m so happy I did!! The cake was delicious!!
I bought some yellow plums at the market, I quartered them and used lemon zest instead of orange. I bought a basil plant 2 months ago and it’s still alive, which is a miracle on it’s own as I don’t have green fingers…. So far all the plants I had died in recordtime: either because they drown in water or because they get dehydrated by lack of water…… Since this basil plant is still very much alive and kicking I decided to add some of it to the cake.
After 40 minutes the cake was not quite done, so I left it in the oven for another 10 minutes. The first bite was sour and than it turned sweet, a scrumptious combination!! I really don’t understand where the tartness comes from…. I tasted the plums beforehand and they were sweet. After baking they tasted a bit bitter.
Dad’s verdict: 8 out of 10.
P.S. More crappy pictures this week, but it’s probably the last time: I just got a letter from the insurance company and they are going to reimburse me for my broken camera!! So it’s shopping time!!! Does anyone have some tips for which camera I should buy???
The Baking Bluefinger 
September 23, 2008 at 10:53 am
>Glad you decided to try the cake! Although nobody in my house but myself would eat it – I sent it home with my parents who LOVED it!
September 23, 2008 at 11:22 am
>So happy that you gave the cake a shot. I think baked plums are so much nicer than fresh. Neat idea to use the basil – I did basil in cupcakes not too long ago and was pleased with the results.
September 23, 2008 at 11:37 am
>I like that you tried the basil idea – I didn’t have the guts to do it 🙂 And my plums were sweet and turned a bit more tangy and sour too. Too weird.
September 23, 2008 at 12:20 pm
>my kindred spirit – no green fingers on my hands, either. i’m glad you liked it! and as for cameras, i love my nikon d70s.
September 23, 2008 at 1:34 pm
>My husband loved this cake, and ate quite a bit of it!Madam Chowhttp://www.mzkitchen.com
September 23, 2008 at 2:07 pm
>Basil…hmmm good idea! I bet you are super excited to camera shop! 🙂
September 23, 2008 at 2:17 pm
>Im glad you made the cake. It was so good! Keep baking!!
September 23, 2008 at 2:19 pm
>I’m glad you liked the plum cake. I left an answer about molasses on my blog. Molasses is the syrup left after sugar is processed. It can be light colored all the way to very dark dark brown. In England it is called treacle.
September 23, 2008 at 2:46 pm
>I am also glad you tried it! Looks good. I also have a black thumb. I have a friend that gave me a beautiful hanging plant. Apparently you are supposed to water them more than once every couple of weeks.
September 23, 2008 at 3:00 pm
>I’m so glad that you liked this! We thought the plums baked up a little bitter too, although I assumed that was just because I bought overripe plums. I wish I had camera tips for you, but I just have a little point and shoot, which I love because I can place the blame for my awful pictures squarely on the camera, when it is probably really the camera operator’s fault!
September 23, 2008 at 5:26 pm
>Fun to hear about the basil adaption. I wanted to try it but I wussed out! As for cameras. I have a Sony DSC S700. Its a good little point and shoot but I am in the market for a DSLR now! Time to play with the big boys! HAHA. You’ll have to let me know what you buy!Clara @ iheartfood4thought
September 23, 2008 at 5:51 pm
>I love my canon rebel (even though I am not a “great” picture taker) Glad you tried the cake and I love your combos!
September 23, 2008 at 6:35 pm
>Ohh, I’m so glad that you decided to try the cake and that you liked it! I added a streusel topping to mine and I adored it! Best recipe yet I think!
September 23, 2008 at 6:45 pm
>This cake was a love/hate thing. LIked the cake, but not the plums. Glad you made it anyway.I use a Sony Cyber-shot. 5.1 mega pixels. Carl Zeiss lens. I like it 90% of the time.
September 23, 2008 at 7:12 pm
>I am with you, I definitely do not have a green thumb…more like the hand of death. Your cake looks wonderful and I am glad to hear you gave it a try! Good luck on your camera buying.
September 23, 2008 at 9:48 pm
>Your cake looks great! I can tell you I just bought a Minolta and it was expensive and I am NOT happy with it. Good luck shopping for a new one!
September 24, 2008 at 12:24 am
>I was totally and very pleasantly surprised by this cake also – it’s a keeper for sure. Great news on the camera; do you have a budget? I have the Canon Rebel xTi which is great but I also love my little Canon PowerShot SD 1000. I use both for my blog.Nancy
September 24, 2008 at 4:19 am
>Glad you like the cake! I was pleasantly surprised too. I can’t wait to have more tomorrow!
September 24, 2008 at 5:34 am
>Yellow plums, I’ve never had one before, I wish I could try one. I’m glad you loved this cake so much, so did I. I found that it was really addicting. As for the camera, what kind would you like? The really big SLR ones or just a point and shoot? I have the nikon d70s, which is really good, but I have no idea how to use it. Instead I use a point and shoot canon SD790 IS, which I love because I find that the pictures are pretty clear even with my shaky hands.
September 24, 2008 at 12:41 pm
>Good for you for trying the cake! I should have tried using basil – we still have some growing in the back yard. And happy shopping for a camera! I’ve got a Canon Rebel XT – I’m pretty happy with it.
September 24, 2008 at 4:20 pm
>Hi Marthe, I saw your comment on Steph’s blog and thought I might offer a suggestion. I use a point and click that’s pretty decent and it’s shock- and water-proof which is perfect for a klutz like me. It’s an Olympus 790SW.
September 24, 2008 at 7:24 pm
>I don’t know whether you’re looking for an SLR or a point-and-shoot, but I love my Panasonic TZ4. It’s got by far the best zoom on any point-and-shoot, and the picture quality it excellent. And it’s fairly cheap, too!
September 24, 2008 at 8:01 pm
>It sounds so interesting with the basil. I’m glad you ended up liking it. It’s so disappointing to bake a recipe that you don’t end up liking.
September 25, 2008 at 2:39 pm
>Thanks–your version looks so good! I have never tried yellow plums before–I will have to look out for them.
September 25, 2008 at 4:15 pm
>glad you liked the cake so much! it’s always nice to be pleasantly surprised 🙂 great job, the basil sounds tasty!
September 25, 2008 at 8:09 pm
>Thank you for welcoming me to TWD. I’m so excited to be a part of such a wonderful group!
September 26, 2008 at 1:07 am
>I so loved this cake! The basil variation sounds delicious. 🙂
September 27, 2008 at 3:15 pm
>I want to try the basil version someday! Have fun with your camera shopping!
September 28, 2008 at 3:13 pm
>oh i’m so sorry about the camera. But i’m sure i’ll be expecting top grade photos from you soon! Glad you enjoyed the cake! Just got mine done a little while back.. better late than never!