I recently prepared this cake at a barbecue for dessert, and it was a total crowd-pleaser. One guest even remarked: “This is plum delicious!”

Streusels are usually the finishing topping to a cake, adding sweetness and crunch. You can vary the nuts with almonds or walnuts here, whatever your preference. Make sure to have the butter slightly soft so it is easier to blend all the ingredients together. If you like lots of spice, feel free to add a pinch of ginger, allspice or nutmeg to the streusel.

This simple, vanilla-scented cake is easy to put together, but be mindful when you add the fruit to keep it intact. It is not too sweet, which is why the streusel gives it the perfect balance.

What’s fun about this cake is you can put your own signature on it. You can mix and match the fruit with variations like peach and raspberry or blackberry and nectarine or cherry and blueberry.

Here, a pecan-spiced streusel tops a vanilla cake interspersed with blueberries and diced plums. Make sure to cut the unpeeled plums into small pieces, about the same size as the blueberries. Remember to toast and cool the pecans before continuing with the recipe.

This is as good a dessert as it is for a tasty breakfast warmed up the next morning. I like to serve ice cream alongside for dessert.

Blueberry Plum Streusel Cake

Serves 6 to 8

For the streusel topping:

2/3 cup pecans, toasted

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the cake:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch salt

1/2 cup milk

1 cup blueberries

2 medium plums, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

To serve:

French vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. To toast the pecans: place the pecans in a skillet over medium heat. Toast, stirring frequently so they won’t burn and they toast evenly, until pecans are golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Place onto a cutting board and cool. Coarsely chop and reserve.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pecans, flour, sugars, and cinnamon. Add the butter and mix with your hands or two forks until the mixture is crumbly. Set the topping aside.

3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch springform with baking spray evenly on the bottom and sides. To make the cake batter, combine the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat them together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and egg.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Then add the flour mixture in batches to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, making sure that the ingredients are well blended between additions. Add the berries and plums and briefly mix with a spatula, taking care not to break up the fruit.

5. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared springform. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cake and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking at 50 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Then place on a cake platter and remove sides of the springform. Serve with French vanilla ice cream if desired.

Make ahead: This dish may be prepared up to eight hours ahead and kept at room temperature. If you have leftover cake it’s good the next day, briefly heated.

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including “Seriously Simple Parties,” and a James Beard Award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)

©2025 Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.