Savory vegetable plumcake

The savory vegetable plumcake is a versatile and delicious recipe, perfect for brunch or as a tasty appetizer. Here is an Italian version with seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 100 ml of milk
• 1 packet of baking powder for savory cakes
• 200 g of mixed vegetables (for example, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots)
• 100 g of grated cheese (Parmesan or pecorino)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Aromatic herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil), according to taste
• Butter and flour to grease and flour the cake pan

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Cut the vegetables into small cubes and sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of oil until they are tender but still crunchy. Let them cool.
3. In a bowl, beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Add the oil and milk to the beaten eggs and continue mixing.
5. Gradually incorporate the sifted flour with the baking powder, stirring to avoid lumps.
6. Add the grated cheese and cooled vegetables to the mixture.
7. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste and add the finely chopped aromatic herbs.
8. Grease and flour a plumcake mold, then pour the batter into it.
9. Bake the plumcake for about 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Let the plumcake cool before unmolding and serving.

You can customize the plumcake with the vegetables you prefer or add other ingredients such as olives, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, to give an even more Mediterranean touch.

Curiosity

The term “plumcake” comes from the English word “plum cake” which originally referred to a sweet cake with plums (plum in English). Over time the recipe has evolved and the terms have been adapted even for savory versions that do not contain plums. In Italy, we have adopted this term, but often we “Italianize” it by adding local ingredients typical of our cuisine.