There's nothing better than the smell of freshly baked cake wafting from the kitchen. In summer, as children, we would run across the meadows, help gather hay or grain, and even from the farmyard, the sweet scent of cinnamon and vanilla would greet us. Grandma would quickly mix the batter in the summer kitchen while dinner warmed on the stove. I would add more wood to the fire and savor the magical summer atmosphere – the crackling fire, the aroma of dry hay and fresh cake.
Even though we don't have summer cooking anymore, we still bake this mug cake – precisely because it's so quick and easy. In today's hectic world, nobody wants to weigh out every gram after work. Mug recipes are straightforward: everything works with just two mugs, two bowls, and a wooden spoon. If you have a mixer, you can make things easier, but believe me – Grandma never needed one; a wooden spoon is perfectly sufficient. Best of all: there's minimal washing up.
To this day, this mug cake is a favorite in our house. It's tall, airy, and stays moist for a long time. We bake it depending on the season – sometimes with plums, sometimes with strawberries, currants, blackberries, apricots, or raspberries. But when the plums are ripe, there's no better combination than them.
Ingredients (for a baking sheet 30×20 cm, approx. 5 cm high)
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2 medium-sized eggs
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¾ cup oil
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¾ cup sugar (granulated or fine sugar)
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1 cup of milk
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2 cups wheat flour
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1 packet of baking powder
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1 1/2 packets of vanilla sugar (1 packet for the dough, 1/2 packet for the streusel)
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½ packet of cinnamon sugar
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50 g butter (¼ of the classic 200 g butter)
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approximately 20 pitted plums (halved)
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¾ cup flour for the crumble topping
Tools:
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2 cups (one for liquids, one for dry ingredients)
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2 bowls (one for the dough, one for egg whites and streusel)
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Cooking spoon (alternatively spatula, mixer optional)
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Baking tray lined with baking paper (or greased and floured)
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Hand mixer for egg whites or patience
preparation
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Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Wash, pit, and halve the plums.
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Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. In a bowl, gradually add the oil to the egg yolks and stir with a wooden spoon (or mixer). Add the milk, sugar, and one packet of vanilla sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
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Stir in 2 cups of flour with baking powder until a smooth dough is formed.
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Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and carefully fold them into the batter.
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Pour the batter onto the baking sheet, arrange the plums skin-side up close together on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (or just cinnamon if less sweet is desired).
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For the crumble topping, mix butter, flour and vanilla sugar with your hands and sprinkle evenly over the cake.
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Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer to see if the dough is cooked through.
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Leave to cool under a clean cloth for at least 1 hour to ensure the cake remains moist.
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Optionally, dust with powdered sugar before serving.
And finally
This cake never gets old – quick, easy, with minimal cleanup, yet luxurious enough for guests. Most importantly: every bite evokes memories of home, summer, and the scent of Grandma's summer cooking.
Enjoy your meal! – Petra, founder of Giftphoria