What type of loaf cake would go well with plum ice cream?

[bythebay]

I want to make a loaf cake to serve alongside plum ice cream. I don't know if guests will eat it with the ice cream (I have cookies for the ice cream too) or separately, but it would be nice if it went decently with the ice cream too. Any ideas? I've never made loaf cake before and can't think of anything except maybe an upside down cake, but I'm not sure what kind of fruit I'd use if I made that.

[bythebay]

Thanks everyone. I'll have to bookmark this thread so I can look up all the ideas, recipes. Ricotta loaf sounds really good especially! I ended up making an upside down plum cake. People ate the ice cream with cookies and the cake separately with whipped cream. It came out really good but could have baked just a tad bit more evenly. Since the recipe was for a 9 inch round, I guess baking it in the loaf pan might have needed some kind of adjustment but I didn't know how to do that. Still it came out looking and tasting really good. No leftovers.

[sunshine842]

any time you need to change the baking time it will become an inexact science, anyway....start checking it (with a toothpick or skewer) a few minutes before the recommended baking time...then gauge it from there.

The time is rarely 100% accurate, even when you're baking it in the recommended pan size.

[bythebay]

It seemed like it maybe need to go a little longer in the middle but the top was starting to really brown so I took it out. Once it cooled it tasted great but I could see it was more moist in the middle. Maybe putting a bit less batter next time would help.

[Emme]

if the batter is deeper than your original pan, you can also drop the temperature of your oven by 25 degrees or so, to allow the inside to bake before the outside burns/browns.

[bythebay]

Thanks so much, I'll try that next time. I definitely want to make this cake again.

[JudiAU]

Almond pound cake or something with cornmeal.

[pavlova]

I love plums and cardamom together. I make a plum and cardamom cake, but a cardamom sponge or pound cake would be fantastic with the plum ice cream.

[Emme]

ooh if cake were negotiable... i'd do lightly cardamomed oatmeal cookies to make ice cream sandwiches...

[NellyNel]

I made a sesame seed cake a few months back - I loved it! I think it would pair perfectly with plum ice cream!!

http://dessertfirstgirl.com/2007/11/s...

[bythebay]

Oh that looks good!

[sunshine842]

another vote for a really good (and really simple) cake -- vanilla pound cake, a French yogurt cake -- keep it simple, so that your plum ice cream shines.

(what kind of plums?)

[bythebay]

Shoot I can't remember what type. The were purple though, not the lighter kind. The ice cream came out great. I used the David Leibovitz recipe subbing brandy for kirsch.

[Emme]

i have a ricotta loaf cake that i generally add a little almond extract to... it's quite lovely in taste and texture.

[silvergirl]

Emme, could you share that recipe?

[Emme]

sure here you go...

i'm pretty sure i do this in one large loaf pan, but for some reason, i remember last time breaking it down into two 6" loaf pans... hmmm.

Ricotta Loaf Cake

210 g Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Baking Soda
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Salt
226 g Ricotta Cheese
113 g Butter
200 g Sugar
2 whole Eggs
60 milliliters Milk
½ tsp. Almond Extract
½ tsp. Vanilla (i usually end up increasing this because i'm a vanilla nut)
½ cup Add-ins (if you want to add nuts or fruit or the like)

Combine dry ingredients.
Combine milk and extracts.
Beat butter with ricotta and sugar.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add dry alternately with milk mixture (i usually do dry, milk, dry, milk, dry). Add an extra add-in's if you like.
Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 F for approx 35 minutes -- don't overbake it. If you make smaller ones, obviously they'll bake in less time. I start checking around 30 minutes.
Also good if you add a little streusel on top, but it definitely doesn't need it.

[silvergirl]

Thanks. That sounds like breakfast. Yum.

[Emme]

hope it turns out well for you. it's a really flexible and tolerant recipe. i look at it as a go to basic recipe that can be augmented as needed or not. and the fact that it takes 5 minutes to prep makes it all the better.

[tim irvine]

I don't have a recipe, but for some reason walnuts seemed like a good fit.

[bythebay]

Yeah that does sound good.

[magiesmom]

I love gingerbread and plums together.

[bythebay]

Will have to try that, I've never had that combination before, thank you.

[rabaja]

I was going to say ginger cake too. I love the one in Claudia Flemings book, and Chez Panisse had a great one too, without any beer.
Somehow I think ginger and plums go perfectly.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Claudia Fleming's recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[gingershelley]

+1, on ginger and plums... I was thinking a simple loaf pound cake with a 3 ginger approach; grated fresh, powdered, and chopped minced sugared or candied dried. Don't make it TOO strong, as some don't like heavy ginger. But, in my experience, most people find it delicious and intriguing.

Like this: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

You might macerate some fresh chopped plums with just a wee touch of grated ginger, lemon and sugar to add to the top.

[bythebay]

Thanks everyone, great ideas! Almond cake especially might go really well.

[greygarious]

Almond pound cake - look at the almond cake recipe on the underside of the Solo almond filling can. Or if it's not still there, it will be on the solofoods.com website. All stone fruits are related to almonds - did you know that amaretti cookies are flavored not with almonds but with apricot kernels? So almond and stone fruits go together perfectly. You can add ground or chopped/sliced almonds to any plain loaf cake/quickbread recipe but for a noticeable almond flavor, you will need to sub almond extract for all or half the vanilla. If you want a boozy cake, try amaretto instead of rum.

[bythebay]

That's good to know, I love learning about food combos that go well together, thank you!

[Cheese Boy]

Since blueberries are in season for many of us right now, you can make a lemon blueberry poundcake and serve that with your ice cream. As far as an upside down cake goes, sliced pineapple is the fruit you'd want to use there along with some maraschino cherries. If you have any ginger snaps, serve those with your plum ice cream, OR if you prefer, there are many recipes for plum cakes available online as well.

[maxie]

Almond cake would be nice. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/06/...

[ipsedixit]

If you want fancy, try a rum cake

[bythebay]

Oh I love rum cake, I haven't made that since I was a kid. Thank you for the suggestion!

[bythebay]

Okay, thanks guys. I wanted to get a little fancier just so I could enjoy making something different. But maybe this will go better with the ice cream.

[Irregular]

If the fancyness is what you're seeking, you can certainly hit that with garnishes. Mint leaves, a fresh plum dice, using things like martini glasses for serving, that kind of thing.

[bythebay]

Thank you. I like the plum dice. Would you add the garnishes after baking then?

[Irregular]

Afterwards, for me.

[fourunder]

You can never go wrong with Pound Cake and Fresh Whipped Cream

[todao]

I agree. I assume you're trying to make the plum ice cream the centerpiece of your dessert course so you wouldn't want to get too adventurous with a wildly flavorful cake that overpowered the featured frozen element.