A Plum Cake Salato Recipe That Is Ugly, But So Delicious

This recipe for Plum Cake Salato, which is a savory version of the Italian Plumcake, also has no plums but is bursting with tons of amazing flavors.

Like the traditional Italian plum cake, this version does not contain the one ingredient that you might expect, plums. Traditionally, Italian plum cake is more like a pound cake in that it is simple, sweet and doesn’t contain any fruit. In this version, there is so much more!

This is the third version of an Italian plum cake (or plumcake in Italian) and it is definitely my favorite. The first version was very traditional and sweet and the second was a little less sweet with the addition of cheese and a bit less sugar. This version is not sweet at all. If you were not aware, Salato is Italian for salted, but in this context it means savory. 

This savory plum cake is a truly special recipe to me. It is one of those baked goods that has many qualities going for it. It is very simple to make, it can be used to empty the fridge of meats and cheeses you’ve lost interest in, and it has many uses. I’ve enjoyed it for breakfast, dessert and as a snack mid.day. It is also perfect for a picnic where both adults and children will love it.

This will not rise as much as the other versions, so if you want to make a taller savory plum cake, use a smaller mold, but make sure it is well cooked and not over-cooked. In this version, I used cured meat (guanciale) and cheeses that I had available (Emmentaler and Parmigiano Reggiano) but you should follow your heart and fill it with the ones you like the most or have to use up.

Pasta Maker	Gnocchi Board	Pasta Board	Ravioli Maker
Ravioli Press/Stamper	Ricer	Bialetti Pasta Pot	Bamboo Cutting Board Set of 3
Silpat Baking Mat	Santoku Knife	Measuring Cups and Spoons	Stainless Mixing Bowls
Dutch Oven	Mesh Strainers	Stainless Colander	Stainless Steel Fry Pan

Plum Cake Salato Ingredient Recommendations

Which Meat Should I Use?

You have a lot of options when choosing which meat would be best for this dish. You have options, like: bacon, pancetta, prosciutto and even guanciale. Staying with the theme of using up what you have leftover in your refrigerator, start there and see what you got. All of these options are good.

I was planning on using bacon only because I thought I saw some in my local grocery store and I thought that would be easier to find for most people. What I thought was bacon turned out to be thinly sliced guanciale, which is pretty rare here in Rome.

If you choose to use bacon, I recommend cooking it well and removing all the rendered bacon fat, because you don’t want to add this to the dish. The other meats are cured, so you just add it to the batter and let the meat cook with the dish.

Which Cheese Should I Use?

Again, see what you have laying around and don’t let it go to waste. Of course the Parmigiano Reggiano is important, but if you want to use Pecorino Romano or some other hard aged cheese, you certainly can. The other cheese I used, Emmental, is a favorite of mine so I was happy to use it. You can use a blue cheese or another soft cheese if you would prefer. The important element is that it is a very good melting cheese.