Cook the Book: Plum Biercake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch round (or square) baking pan or spray it with nonstick spray. Dust the pan with flour and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Alternately add the flour mixture and the beer to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat just until smooth and combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plum slices in rows on top of the batter.

Bake the cake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack, then cut into squares and serve.