There are cakes that taste of late summer, and Grandma Mia’s plum cake is one of them. The German Pflaumenkuchen nach Oma Mia is a light sponge cake baked in a round tin, where the plum halves are pressed down into the batter before it goes into the heat. During baking, the fruit sinks slightly, the juice draws out into the crumb, and the cake turns light on top and almost moist around the plums.
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A dusting of powdered sugar is the entire decoration — no crumble, no glaze. In the airfryer, the cake bakes at 160 °C, and you don’t need to heat up the big oven for just one tin.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents:
Why I love Grandma Mia’s plum cake in the airfryer
Plum cake is one of those cakes where less is more. The batter is a simple sponge cake, and it shouldn’t compete with the fruit — it should carry it. That’s exactly why the airfryer works so well: the circulating heat at 160 °C gives an even rise without the top burning, and the cake gets a golden surface even before the middle is done.
The second reason is practical. A round tin measuring 18-20 cm fits in most airfryer baskets, so you avoid heating up a whole oven for just one cake. From the moment you start mixing the batter until it’s cooled and dusted, 70 minutes pass — and the machine does most of the work itself.
The difference between oven and airfryer for fruit cakes
A fruit cake baked in the oven typically gets most of its heat from above, which can dry out the plums at the edges while the batter underneath is still wet. In the airfryer, the fan circulates the air all the way around the tin, so the bottom and sides bake too. On the other hand, the heat hits more directly, which is why you bake at 160 °C rather than the higher temperature an oven recipe often calls for. If the top turns golden too soon, loosely place a piece of baking paper over it.
My kitchen test of Grandma Mia’s plum cake
I’ve baked the cake in my Philips XXL in a round springform tin, and 160 °C for 35 minutes is the number I keep coming back to. Shorter left a middle that was still too wet to hold the plums; longer started to dry out the edge. At 35 minutes, a toothpick in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs — not raw batter.
Preparation takes around 20 minutes, once the plums are pitted and the batter is mixed, and afterwards the cake needs 15 minutes of cooling time in the tin. That last part isn’t optional: a warm plum cake is held together by fruit juice and optimism, and it will crack if you rush it out of the tin.
Only dust the powdered sugar once the cake is completely cold. On a warm cake, it melts and turns into sticky patches instead of a fine white layer.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is plums that are too wet. If the fruit has been sitting in the fridge or was just rinsed, water clings to the cut surface, and that water ends up in the batter and makes the bottom soggy — pat the halves dry with paper towel before pressing them down. The next mistake is packing the tin too tightly. The plums should sit cut-side up with a little air between them, otherwise they’ll steam instead of bake. The third is filling the tin more than two-thirds full: the sponge rises, and in an airfryer the heat sits closer than in an oven, so an overfilled tin gives a top that turns dark long before the middle is done.
How to serve Grandma Mia’s plum cake
The cake does just fine on its own with its layer of powdered sugar, but it gets even better with a little company:
- Lightly whipped cream without sugar — the plums are sweet enough
- Vanilla ice cream, if the cake is served warm as a dessert
- A spoonful of crème fraîche with grated lemon zest
- Black coffee or a pot of tea for an afternoon treat
Storage and reheating
The cake keeps for three days in a cake tin at room temperature — not in the fridge, where the crumb turns dry and mealy. If it needs to last longer, freeze it in slices with baking paper in between and thaw at room temperature. A single slice freshens up nicely in the airfryer at low heat for a couple of minutes. Remember to dust it with powdered sugar again afterwards; the first layer doesn’t survive storage.
Grandma Mia’s plum cake doesn’t need extra layers to be good. Plums, a light batter and a touch of powdered sugar — the season does the rest. Bake it while the plums are at their best.
FAQ
Yes. Prune plums have firmer flesh and less juice than round plums, so they hold their shape better during baking. If you use round, juicy plums, just pat them extra dry first.
The airfryer’s fan sends the heat directly onto the surface of the cake, so it browns faster than in an oven. At 160 °C for 35 minutes, the middle has time to finish baking before the top gets too dark.
Yes, but they need to thaw completely and drain in a sieve first. Frozen plums release noticeably more liquid than fresh ones, and if that liquid gets into the batter, the cake will turn soggy around the fruit.
Recipe
Grandma Mia’s plum cake in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Our estimate is based on average food prices for the current year 2026.
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Airfryer size
All our recipes are tested in a Philips Airfryer 2000 Series NA230/00 – 6.2 L
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Springform pan - 18 cm
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Electric mixer
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Parchment paper - For the bottom of the pan
Shopping list
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 125 g butter (Soft)
- 125 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 pcs eggs
- 150 g wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp milk
Plums and Topping
- 450 g plums (Halved and pitted)
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (For dusting)
- 1 tsp butter (For the pan)
How to make it
Preparation
- Wash the 450 g plums, halve them and remove the stones. Place the halves cut-side up on a chopping board so they can drain while you make the batter.
- Grease the springform pan with 1 tsp butter, and line the bottom with a round piece of baking paper. The pan needs to stand freely in the air fryer basket with air all the way around.
- Beat 125 g butter and 125 g sugar pale and fluffy with an electric mixer for 3-4 minutes. The butter should be soft, but not melted.
- Add the 2 pcs eggs one at a time, beating well between each egg. Then stir in 1 tsp vanilla sugar and 1 pinch salt.
- Sift 150 g wheat flour and 1 tsp baking powder into the batter, and fold in gently. Finally, stir in 2 tbsp milk, so the batter becomes soft and smooth.
Cooking in the Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C on the hot-air setting.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan, and smooth the surface with a dough scraper. The batter should fill about two-thirds of the pan, to leave room for the cake to rise.
- Arrange the plum halves closely in a circular pattern on top of the batter with the cut side up, and press them halfway down. If you press them all the way down, they will sink during baking.
- Bake the cake at 160 °C for 35 minutes. Check after 30 minutes with a toothpick in the middle — it should come out dry. If the surface gets too dark, loosely lay a piece of baking paper over it for the last 10 minutes.
Serving
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, before loosening the edge and lifting it out of the springform pan.
- Dust 1 tbsp icing sugar evenly over the cooled cake through a sieve, and serve.
Our notes for the recipe
Use firm, ripe plums. Overripe plums release too much juice and make the middle of the cake soggy. Only press the plum halves halfway into the batter, so they stay sitting up on the surface during baking. No crumble:
The cake is baked completely without crumble, the way the German original is made. The light sponge cake and a light dusting of icing sugar are the only decoration, letting the tartness of the plums come through clearly. Variation:
Plums hold their shape best and are the classic choice. Apricots or pitted cherries can be used in the same amount. If the plums are very tart, you can toss them in 1 tsp sugar before placing them on the batter. Serving:
Serve the cake warm or fully cooled with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a cup of coffee on the side. Portion size:
The springform pan needs to stand freely in the basket with air around it. If your air fryer is smaller, use a 16 cm pan and extend the baking time by 5 minutes.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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