First let me say that I’ve never been to Vienna for the traditional Viennese Plum Cake, but we hope to go sometime next year as we have friends in Slovakia (Hi Becky!) that we would like to visit soon!
They are only 45 minutes or so from Vienna, so when we do finally make it over there, I will be heading to a Viennese Coffeehouse posthaste to get my hands on a piece of the real deal Viennese Plum Cake!
Meanwhile, I’ve tried recipes for Vienna Plum Cake in the past, and this low carb and gluten free version that I’ve created is pretty close to what I’ve had.
And it’s amazing.
This Vienna Plum Cake is rich and dense, but has a light, sweet flavor that keeps it from being overly heavy.
The plums themselves add a refreshing tang that balances out the sweetness – and their smooth, juicy center is a lovely counterpart to the rustic texture of the cake itself.
There are versions of the Vienna Plum Cake using cinnamon and lemon zest for flavor, but I went with a lot of vanilla and a hint of almond extract, which I think complemented the unique flavor of the plums perfectly.
Also I’m saving the cinnamon flavors for the low carb apple recipes I’ll be working with next week!
I used prune plums because they are small and easy to work with (also they were on sale so there is that) but you can really use any smallish plum in this recipe.
If you go with a larger plum and they are too big to place on the cake in halves, you can slice them and arrange them in a nice circular pattern or just throw them on there haphazardly as it will complement the rustic nature of this cake.
Traditionally Viennese Plum Cake can be sprinkled with confectioners sugar after baking. I didn’t do it this time because I wanted the plums to show up well in the photos, but you can use Swerve confectioners if you want to dress up the top a little for company.
Either way it’s delicious and perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning – or let’s be honest, anytime!
Earlier this week I gave new meaning to the phrase “3 squares a day” when I ate a piece for breakfast, then lunch, then dinner because I was too busy running around to cook myself “real” food.
Not only was #cakeallday super fun, I was down 1.2 pounds in the morning. I might make the #ibihcakediet a thing now ha ha!
LET’S DO IT.
NOTES: To make this Vienna Plum Cake recipe Dairy Free, simply replace the butter with coconut oil or the butter replacement of your choice.
To make it fully Paleo, you can replace the sweetener with coconut palm sugar or the sweetener of your choice. If you use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup, reduce it to 1/3 cup and add another Tablespoon of coconut flour to compensate for the extra moisture.
For the best results I recommend using a high quality blanched almond flour, preferably a super fine grind – if you use a course almond meal, it will still taste good but it will have a much heavier texture. I have used both Wellbee’s and Honeyville with excellent results – I buy in 3-5 lb bags to get the best price and store it in the fridge or freezer.
Vienna Plum Cake – Low Carb and Gluten Free
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A low carb and gluten free Vienna Plum Cake recipe – sweet and dense vanilla almond cake with tangy, juicy plums baked into the top. Keto, Atkins and Paleo friendly!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used Swerve)
- 3 eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- pinch of salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 4 small plums, pitted and halved (skin on)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F)
- Cream the butter and sweetener together until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat until combined.
- Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum in a small bowl and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the butter/egg mixture and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the almond milk and blend well.
- Spoon the batter into a well greased 8 x 12 pan (or equivalent) and spread evenly.
- Place the plum halves (or slices) evenly over the top.
- Bake on an upper rack of the oven at 375 degrees (F) for 35 – 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cut the cake into 8 pieces. Serve warm or cold.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!
- Category: Low Carb Dessert Recipe
- Cuisine: Austrian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8th cake
- Calories: 296
- Fat: 25
- Carbohydrates: 6.5g net
- Protein: 9
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Louisa says
Phenomenal outcome. I made it in a round springform pan and added more plums- the cake is delicious. I’m sure the base would even do great on its’ own or with other toppings.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Louisa!
Hanna says
First of all – this recipe looks great. Being low-carb is a plus for many of us.
But -for the record – Slovakia is a little farther from Vienna than 45 minutes (unless you mean via airplane).
Mellissa Sevigny says
We have friends that lived in the city of Bratislava (Slovakia) for over 10 years – it’s a 47 minute ride to the Vienna airport from them, which you can confirm using Google Maps.
Zee says
Love love love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times with different fruits I needed to use. This last time I added zest of a lemon to the mix (with plums) and it’s amazing!
I’ve also subbed the almond milk with a little cream mixed with water because that’s all I had on hand and subbed almond essence with vanilla. I haven’t found swerve in Australia but have used both monkfruit and stevia sweeteners (with erythritol base) and both work. Some sweeteners need quantity reduction but it says on the pack.
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe! 😁
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
So happy you’re able to make this work for you with so many different variations! It’s on my list to make as soon as I get back to the states and can get ahold of some plums!
Erika says
Finally a low carb and no sugar added recipe i love! the cake is buttery and tender! i also baked this in an 8 inch round tin and worked out well. can’t wait to try your other recipes!!
★★★★★
Mae says
Went to a Farmers Market and picked up some small plums and needed to find a recipe to use them. This was a simple and easy recipe. The presentation is great and I did add powdered sugar on top as she said she would have but did not due to looks better in the photo. I can totally see how she said you could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s that good, it’s that light, it’s that easy! Thank you for sharing your recipes, I look forward to trying more.
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
So happy you liked this one Mae! I wish I could get plums here in Honduras so I could make it again!
Deborah says
Terrific recipe! I followed it exactly except for the almond flavoring which I didn’t have on hand. Thank you! One question for you – can I cut the sweetener in half without affecting the results? I prefer less sweet cakes . I think most people would find it just right but my tastebuds like only a hint of sweetness.
★★★★★
jean says
My friend is keto and I am gluten/dairy and egg free. (And, had a lot of plums to use up!) I made some subs, but this worked very well. I used flax eggs instead of real eggs (which are keto, I believe), I added desiccated coconut, I doubled the recipe and made two cakes (because, why wouldn’t you?), I halved the sugar, but used coconut sugar, used coconut milk and used a few extra plums. It was so delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
★★★★★